


Tomorrow May Rain

by alpenglow



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Family Feels, Getting Together, Magical Creatures, Rare Pairings, Romance, Wandless Magic (Harry Potter), and the dragons, just you wait for the leprechaun, slowburn, teacher!teddy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:07:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 36
Words: 109,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25657906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alpenglow/pseuds/alpenglow
Summary: Dominique "Nina" Weasley has always been the misfit of her family. The sole Gryffindor among her Ravenclaw siblings; the token underachiever of the Weasley name. All she has going for her is boldness, and even then sometimes it’s just stupidity.Teddy Lupin feels like an impostor. At 23, he’s far too young to be a Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor. He's constantly sure he's failing at his job, and it certainly doesn’t help that his godfather keeps throwing unsubtle hints he wants him to leave teaching and join the Auror department instead.When a dark artifact goes missing and Nina takes the fall, the pair of them find their paths crossing in ways they never expected. Joined by a belligerent leprechaun, a bottomless handbag, and a few surprising allies, the pair of them learn what matters more than magic.
Relationships: Teddy Lupin/Dominique Weasley, Victoire Weasley/Original Male Character(s)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 23





	1. Wingardium Leviosa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dominique 'Nina' Weasley doesn't know a whole lot of anything.

There was only one reason that Nina had made it to her seventh year at Hogwarts, and that was because of Defense Against the Dark Arts. There was nothing like the adrenaline rush she felt when her wand recoiled, hot and alive, in her hand.

And, she had to admit, for its professor.

She settled into her preferred seat in the very middle of the classroom. Iskra, her best friend, always accused her of sitting here so that she could be in the middle of everything, but Nina would roll her eyes. Trouble seemed to find her far more than she sought it out.

Iskra joined her at the middle table. There weren’t as many people in this class as there had been two years ago, when Nina had sat her OWLS for Defense. But she preferred it this way. The study was more focused.

The familiar squeak of chalk on the board drew her attention to the front of the room, where their blue-haired professor was putting the finishing touches on the day’s lesson plan.

Iskra groaned. “Wandless magic? Again?”

“Miss Krum, do you really think you could master wandless magic in one lesson?” Teddy crossed his arms at Iskra.

“No,” she mumbled. “But I’d hoped I’d manage to get it after the fifth.”

He frowned sympathetically. “Sixth time’s a charm?”

“Not bloody likely,” chimed in another student.

Nina beamed in his direction. Jackson Bane was one of the few kids in the class that Nina found bearable. He was witty and sharp, and he met Nina’s every snarky comment with one of his own. They were evenly matched, and she could appreciate that.

Iskra elbowed Nina, wiggling her eyebrows in his direction. Nina blushed, shaking her head. _Pay attention_ , she mouthed. Iskra huffed.

“Mr. Bane, I suggest paying attention in lessons instead of drawing on the borders of your notes,” Teddy said, glancing at Jackson over the rim of his glasses.

“You know you love them,” Jackson teased.

Teddy ignored that, continuing right on with his lecture. “Obviously, wandless magic is among some of the most complex a wizard can do. Small spells may be manageable, and some spells prove nearly impossible. You will have an incredibly challenging time casting spells like Lumos or Aguamenti without a wand.”

“How can we? The wand is instrumental in those charms,” Iskra frowned.

“Believe it or not, Miss Krum, the vast majority of the world finds it just as improbable for water to come out the end of a stick as you do to think water might just appear from your hands.”

Nina lowered her voice, whispering in Iskra’s ear. “Well they’re just stupid, aren’t they?”

Teddy sighed. “Ni— Miss Weasley, that be five points from Gryffindor.”

“What?” She balked. “Why?”

“Disparaging muggle culture,” He frowned.

Nina swallowed back her most bitter reply and nodded. “Fine, Professor.”

She caught Teddy cringe almost imperceptibly and settled with that for a victory. He always made a face when he heard her call him Professor. She’d noticed right at the beginning of fifth year, back when he wasn’t so good at concealing his annoyances. But she couldn’t avoid calling him professor, and with time he got better and better at making it seem like it didn’t bother him at all.

“As I was saying,” Teddy went on. “Wandless magic is challenging, but is a crucial skill for every wizard, particularly those pursuing careers as Aurors.”

Several of her classmates straightened up at this. Nina slouched further into her chair.

“We’ve spent several lessons discussing the theory of wandless magic this year, just like we have done since the OWL-level. Some of you seem to have forgotten all of that,” he said, pointing at a stack of essays on his desk. “Please keep it in mind today as we continue our practical applications. I’ve written on the board a list of spells that you should practice: the most essential ones.”

Nina did her best to catch Jackson’s eyes across the room, but he had already turned to another Ravenclaw in the class.

Nina sighed at her best friend. “Iskra, I’m afraid your theory is wrong. Look who he’s working with.”

“No, of course it isn’t!” Iskra shook her head emphatically. “He likes you, he’s just nervous. Look at him, the poor kid.”

Jackson was paired up with one of the more unbearable students in the class. Greasy hair, undersized glasses, and oversized opinions. Nina scrunched her nose.

Iskra pursed her lips sympathetically. She flipped the book open to get to work, but Nina found herself distracted. No matter how hard she tried to hone in on the diagrams and explanations, she found her eyes drifting to the front of the classroom, to the professor.

Teddy usually kept his hair blue, but sometimes when he was teaching it would just start to turn brown. Not dark brown, but caramel brown. She was sure he had no idea he was doing it, but it would start to bleed out at the roots like a caramel wave, and before the end of the lesson he’d be completely brunette.

He looked good as a brunette, Nina reckoned. It was brown now as he surveyed the classroom, lost in thought.

When he was dating Victoire, he’d let her pick his hair color every day. She always chose blue. Victoire must have thought it would drive him mental to wear his girlfriend’s house colors when he was the proudest Hufflepuff there was, but Nina knew it never bothered him. Anyone with eyes could tell that Teddy was head over heels for her.

In hindsight, Nina was grateful that everyone spent so much time noticing that Teddy was in love with Victoire that they never noticed how painfully in love with him Nina was.

“Hello?” Iskra snapped her fingers.

Nina blinked. “Sorry, what?”

Iskra sighed. Nina was going to shoot her an apologetic look, but across the room, she met eyes with Jackson. She smiled in his direction, and he matched her expression.

“Just go work with him,” Iskra encouraged. “I’d rather be working with a Ravenclaw anyway.”

“Even if it’s her?” Nina asked, frowning at Jackson’s partner.

Iskra put a reassuring hand on her best friend’s forearm. She leaned in, careful that nobody could hear as she whispered into Nina’s ear. “Anything that helps you get over Teddy. You deserve better than that.”

Iskra pulled back, squeezing her best friend’s arm one more time before she darted across the room. Nina watched as she interrupted Jackson and his partner. Iskra was all wide gestures and apologetic glances, but Jackson smirked in Nina’s direction.

“It’s alright,” she heard Jackson say, “I’ll make sure Weasley gets it.”

“You’re a babe, Bane.” Iskra sighed, flouncing into the seat next to the Ravenclaw girl.

“Are you all settled with your partners?” Teddy asked, surveying the room. There was a general chorus of contentment. “Good, these will be your partners while you work on wandless magic for the rest of the term.”

“We’re working on this for the rest of the term?” Iskra asked, eyes bulging.

“Yes!” Teddy said emphatically. “This skill will be one of your most essential when it comes to Defense Against the Dark Arts. If you lose your wand in a fight, you need to know a few things to defend yourselves!”

Nina shivered at the thought.

“It’s not easy, but it’s a crucial skill. I don’t expect you all to be masters of it, but there are a few spells you must know. _Alohamora, Lumos_ — things like that will be the difference between life and death in a confrontation. And if you can master _Expelliarmus_ without a wand, it will be most useful.”

“Can you do it?” Nina found herself asking before she even realized the words had left her mouth. “Disarm someone wandlessly?”

Teddy nodded, gesturing to her to pick up her own wand from the desk. She did, rising to her feet and pointing it straight at him. He grabbed his own, holding it loosely in his hand.

“Disarm me,” he said.

Nina did so with a simple flick of her wrist.

“Nonverbal! Expertly done, Miss Weasley. Five points to Gryffindor!” He beamed. “Now, stun me.”

“Sorry?” Nina spluttered.

“Come on then!” His eyes glinted behind his round glasses. He spread his arms wide.

“Okay then,” she mumbled. “ _Stupefy_!”

Teddy brought his hand down fast in a sweeping motion, bisecting his chest in a wide arc. The flash of red leaving Nina’s wand didn’t even have time to approach him before it was sent pinging across the room, knocking books off their shelves.

Nina let her arm relax as she followed the flash around the room, ducking quickly as it flew dangerously close to her head. A quiet murmur began among the students.

_How did he—_

_He barely even moved!_

_He didn’t even cast a spell!_

As quick as he brought his hand down, he twisted his wrist. “ _Expelliarmus_!”

Caught off guard, Nina saw her wand fly out of her hand before she had a second to process it. Her wand clattered on the floor, rolling across the room until it came to a stop at Iskra’s feet.

Teddy was smiling: not smug, but not humble either. He grabbed his wand from the floor and summoned Nina’s. It soared across the room and into his hand. He set it on his desk. “You can have it back after you cast a wandless spell.”

She couldn’t seem to pick up her jaw, but she nodded vacantly. She slid into her seat. She’d never seen Teddy do magic like _that_ before. She didn’t even know wandless magic was part of the curriculum beyond a theoretical introduction.

Jackson looked far less impressed than she did. “Show off,” he mumbled.

“Show off is right,” Nina agreed. “But you’d show off too, if you could do magic like that, wouldn’t you?”

He didn’t say anything, he just flicked the book open to the wandless magic section. He narrowed his eyes at the board across the room. “What’s the first spell there? Is it levitation?”

She squinted at the blackboard. _Wingardium Leviosa_ , it said in scraggly handwriting. She nodded. It was as good of a place as any to start, she figured. It was one of the first charms they ever learned with their wands, why shouldn’t it be the first without one?

Jackson dried his quill against his robes. The blank ink disappeared into his cloak, and he set his newly dried quill on the table in front of them. He smiled in her direction.

“Here goes,” he said, not overly confident. “ _Wingardium Leviosa_.”

Nina watched with wrapt attention as the quill began to tremble in front of them. It looked like it was fighting itself as it scrambled slowly into the air, flailing as it went. Droplets of ink that hadn’t quite dried rained down on them, but Nina didn’t mind.

“Jackson! That’s amazing!” She beamed.

He was gathering attention from across the room as well. Teddy stopped dead in his tracks as the feather floated higher and higher into the air. Suddenly, Jackson let out a grunt and the quill fell to the table like a rock.

“What’s wrong?” Nina frowned. “You were doing so well.”

He looked a little sheepish. “My hand started to cramp.”

She offered an empathetic nod. Her hand hurt just watching him. Teddy cleared his throat at the front of the room, and they all brought their attention up to him.

“Well, that will be all for today. Ten points to Ravenclaw for Mr. Bane’s success. I want a thorough essay from you and your partner on the history and uses of wandless magic. Get creative, I want to know how you think it would be most impactful to you. It will be due at the end of the term. It’s worth twenty percent of your grade, so please take it seriously.”

A cacophony of chairs and backpacks drowned out the end of Teddy’s assignment. She threw her bag over her shoulder and started towards him, but she felt a sharp tug on her arm.

Jackson was pulling her back, grinning easily. “Where are you headed?”

Against her better judgment, she let her heart patter at his crooked smile. Maybe Iskra was right. Maybe he was the perfect distraction. “I was just going to get my wand…”

“What are you doing this weekend?” He asked, looking anywhere but her eyes. Her face softened. He was nervous.

“I wasn’t planning on doing anything, really.”

He hesitated for a moment, and Nina silently willed him to pluck up the courage to ask her. It was a Hogsmeade weekend; he could only be after one thing.

He squared his shoulders. “Do you fancy going to Hogsmeade with me, then?”

“Sure,” she smiled, a little relieved.

He beamed. “Brilliant! Well, I’ll see you then.”

She nodded, mumbling a confirmation, and watched him leave the classroom. She turned, walking across the classroom towards Teddy. The professor lifted his gaze at the sound of her shoes clacking against the floor, bringing a startled hand to his chest.

“You scared me,” he laughed. “I thought everyone had left.”

Her heart strained against her chest. She blinked, willing the sensation to go away. “No, I just came for my wand.”

He clicked his tongue. “Of course! Though, I have half a mind not to give it back to you.”

“Oh?” She asked, matching his grin with one of her own.

“I never saw you cast a wandless spell.”

“What, were you watching me?”

“Of course,” he said, like it was obvious. “I watch everyone.”

She cleared her throat. _Of course he wasn’t watching you_ , she scolded herself. _Don’t be an idiot_. “Well, I’m afraid class is over now.”

He shrugged like that wasn’t his problem. “I’m afraid so.”

“Teddy,” she laughed. “Give me back my wand!”

“Cast a spell,” he demanded. “I know you can do it, you were just playing dumb in front of that Bane boy.”

She crossed her arms. “And if I was?”

He suddenly looked very tired. “Well, if you were, I would tell you that you’re better than that. And you’re smarter than that, too.”

Nina scoffed. Likely story.

Teddy went on. “Seriously, Nina. If he really likes you, he’ll like you for your mind and your spunk. One does not have to come at the cost of the other.”

She bit the inside of her cheek, doing her best not to roll her eyes. That’s where he was wrong. They _did_ have to come at the price of one another. And it was a trade she was willing to make every time. She’d take bold and brash and spunky over smart every day. That was why her uniforms were red, not blue like her siblings’.

“Spare me the big brother lecture,” she snapped. “Did Victoire put you up to this? You don’t have to keep doing her bidding, you know.”

Hurt flashed across his face, and guilt seeped into her chest. He shook his head, letting the flicker of hurt fall right off his face. “I’m not doing her bidding, I’m looking out for you because you’re important to me. I do it for James, Al, and Lily, too. And Louis.”

“Can I have my wand back or not?” She asked.

He looked at her expectantly. She huffed, looking around his desk for something to levitate. His coffee cup sat half-full at the far extreme of his desk. It had likely gone cold hours ago. She settled her focus on the cup, trying to envision the weight and dimensions of the mug and the coffee inside of it. She felt her hand tense. The magic was pulsing through her fingers, bending her knuckles. She embraced the feeling. She let the pain and her anger fuel her, and the cup began to levitate.

“Dominique…” he said, but he didn’t look annoyed. He watched breathlessly as the cup floated above his head.

Nina turned her hand, and the coffee poured out of the mug in a delicate stream. He blinked heavily as it hit his face. He let out an exasperated sound, and Nina turned her hand all of the way. The coffee came down all at once, soaking his hair. She set the mug neatly in front of him.

Teddy wiped the coffee from his eyes. “That’s ten points from Gryffindor,” he sighed.

She was almost disappointed. It was well worth twice that _and_ a detention.

“It would have been twenty, but you did that nonverbally.” He was smiling underneath all the coffee. “That requires real talent, Nina.”

His words echoed around in her ears, but she didn’t say anything. She snatched her wand from his desk and turned on her heel. Before she could close the door, she heard him say: “You’re smarter than you let on!”

She let the door slam behind her. 


	2. Neville's Warning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Admittedly, being a teacher is a lot different than Teddy thought it would be.

Teddy sighed over the letter his godfather had sent him. Any other day, Teddy would have seized the opportunity to hole up in his dormitory and study the contents of the letter. He was intrigued, to say the least, by the slew of runes and diagrams that covered the pages in their entirety. Harry had sent along with it a half-developed key.

 _Looking for a fresh set of eyes_ , the letter read. _Ron, Hermione and I have poured over it for days now._

The sweeping curves and jagged angles of the runes were enchanting enough to keep him at his desk for the better part of the afternoon, but he shoved the letter in his top desk drawer with a huff. He was supposed to meet Neville for a staff meeting ten minutes ago, and he was sure to score himself a write-up for his tardiness.

Neville wasn’t usually a stickler for punctuality, but Minerva had come down hard on the staff in the last few weeks. Staff were failing to meet their grading deadlines, etc etc. Neville looked like he might splinter from the stress of it all.

Teddy headed down the halls to the teacher’s lounge, tucked in a secret hallway in the Divination Tower. It wasn’t a long walk from his office, but long enough for the dread to accumulate in his gut like rainwater in a thunderstorm.

He wasn’t the latest one— thank _Merlin—_ but he was late enough to get a dirty look from some of the older professors. He always felt that they looked rather incongruous here; old, wise witches and wizards, who carried themselves with more elegance in their big toes than Teddy could muster on his best days.

The teacher’s lounge was small and musty, full of comically large round tables and mismatched chairs. Even the tapestries looked threadbare on the walls. Why this room was so dilapidated while the common rooms felt like the height of luxury, Teddy would never understand.

In the very back of the room, a kettle whistled. Teddy settled into the only friendly seat he could find, right between Chelsea Bigby, a relatively young Potions teacher, and Trelawney. He could never bring himself to call her Sybil.

Trelawney raised an eyebrow at him, looking between him and Chelsea with interest. Teddy felt himself flush before he had a chance to control it, and he let the heat sit on his neck like an embarrassing reminder that he didn’t quite belong here.

“Welcome,” Neville said, after the last few professors and staff members trickled their way into the meeting.

Trelawney hadn’t taken her eyes off Teddy, and he was starting to wish he’d sat with the house elf delegates in the back. They’d probably felt similarly uncomfortable to be here.

“So, of course, we all need to get our marks turned in to Professor McGonagall by next weekend. The next professors on Hogsmeade duty need to keep a closer eye on the third years, as they keep trying to break into the Shrieking Shack. That’s…” Neville consulted his notes, “Lupin and Bigby.”

Trelawney elbowed him lightly. Teddy tried his best to ignore her, keeping his eyes on Neville. She persisted, and Teddy let out a nearly imperceptible huff of frustration.

“What?” He whispered.

“You should ask her out,” said Trelawney. “I See great things for you two.”

Teddy rolled his eyes inwardly, but he held back any external form of irritation. He nodded curtly. “Good to know.”

He couldn’t really stay mad at Trelawney. If anything, he quite admired her eccentricity. She knew she was a joke among the staff, but she never faltered in being who she was. He didn’t really mind sitting next to her at functions like these— it was certainly less weird to sit next to her than to sit next to Filius— but sometimes she really did test his patience.

Neville went on, but Teddy wasn’t really listening. Try as he might to keep his attention on his colleagues, his eyes seemed to lose focus, and his mind always seemed to drift back to the same few things. Victoire, invariably. Lesson plans crossed his mind every once in a while, but today he couldn’t seem to keep those runes out of his mind.

He knew he ought to get over Victoire. That ship had sailed years ago, and Chelsea seemed like a nice enough girl. No, _woman_. Chelsea was a real adult. Far more of an adult than Teddy was.

She was pretty enough— just about as beautiful as a woman could get without being part Veela, he supposed. And she was smart in a way that intimidated and impressed him. On paper, he couldn’t really ask for anything else. She was older than him, but that didn’t put him off. It was just that she had probably traveled. She probably knew the real names of wines aside from just _red_ or _white_.

Teddy had never been too far from home. And all he knew about wine is that you drank it.

He stole a glance at her. She sucked the end of her quill pensively, and he felt a familiar stirring sensation in his chest. Victoire used to do the same.

He blinked, finally redirecting his attention back to Neville, who was pointing drolly at a chalkboard.

“Now this is crucial,” Neville said.

Teddy straightened up, hoping it looked like he had been paying attention the whole time.

“We’re doing progress and career evaluations for the seventh years, so be sure to turn in your student assessments to Professor Bigby, who kindly volunteered to assemble student portfolios for the evaluations next week.”

Chelsea waved shyly and their colleagues sent her warm, approving smiles.

“You will be expected to organize interviews with your students, whether that’s in-class or outside of it. Then, they will sit with their Heads of House for a more official recommendation. Remember, it’s important that we send all of these kids out into the world with the confidence to accomplish their goals.”

Across the room, the Ancient Runes professor snorted, and Neville shot her a withering look.

Teddy was so fascinated by what the professors were like behind the scenes. Before he graduated, he didn’t think very three-dimensionally about most of the staff. Of course, he’d known Neville since he was in nappies, and they’d formed a close bond since his childhood, but that was about the extent of it. Admittedly, Teddy had never wondered if Filius Flitwick had a wife at home (he did) or if the Ancient Runes professor was an avid knitter (she was). He’d never thought about many of the people who would eventually become his colleagues.

Of course, he’d learned quickly that adults could be just as catty as teenagers, and that just as much drama came through the teacher’s lounge as did the Common Rooms.

“That concludes today’s meeting.” Neville said, looking even more relieved than the attendees to be over with it. “Hey, Teddy, would you hang behind?”

Teddy nodded. It crossed his mind that he might have reason to worry. Enrollment in his classes _had_ dropped considerably after his first OWLs. Dread settled into the pit of his stomach. Maybe he was getting the sack.

The teachers filed out quickly, but not before Trelawney cast him one final over-the-shoulder-wink. The door closed ceremoniously, and suddenly they were alone.

Teddy wasn’t sure even his Metamorphagus powers could help him obscure the nervousness on his face. “Is something wrong, Neville?”

Neville stopped midway, looking at Teddy incredulously. “No, what are you on about? You’re fine.”

Teddy exhaled, finally relaxing into his seatback. “Oh, that’s such a relief. I was just so _worried_ because, well you know, I’ve so few sixth and seventh years—“

Neville cut him off with a subtle wave of his hand. “Don’t be daft. You’re doing alright. No, I needed to speak to you for two reasons.” He stopped, flipping through his red and gold notebook.

Teddy waited patiently, though his throat still felt thick with anxiety.

“Ah, here it is. Both of these directives come from your godfather actually.”

“Harry?” Teddy balked.

Neville sighed. “I know. The Ministry is getting more and more involved with Hogwarts these days, but what can you do? I suppose it’s all for the greater good. Well, first he wants you to look over that letter he sent you.”

“How do you know about that?”

Neville shrugged. “He sent it to me, too. He always sends me things expecting that I’ll know what to do with them. I’m just an Herbology professor.”

Neville shook his head, but Teddy knew he was just playing coy. Both of them knew that Neville was a Ministry informant.

“I’ll give them a look tonight,” Teddy promised.

“Good! The other thing has to do with what we went over in the meeting, actually.” Neville paused, looking at Teddy for some sort of confirmation.

Teddy nodded along. He just hoped it had to do with one of the bits he was listening to.

“Well, as the Defense teacher, you have a certain responsibility to screen for any upcoming Tom Riddles. Make sure there aren’t any loonies that we’re about to send into the world. The Charms, Potions, and Transfiguration teachers have to do it as well, of course.”

“Oh, Merlin.” Teddy frowned. “That’s awful to think about.”

“Yes, well Tom Riddle was quite close with Horace Slughorn, as you’ve surely read about. It was how he mined him for information about Horcruxes. So, we just have to do our part to make sure we’re not feeding into the delusions of any new lunatics.”

“Does this have anything to do with the runes Harry sent us?”

Neville paused, finally letting his jolly facade fall a bit. “I think so. It’s the first year we’re implementing such rigorous seventh year interviews.”

Teddy bit his cheek. “You don’t think there’s going to be some dark magic resurgence, is there? It’s been nearly twenty-five years.”

Neville let out a heavy sigh. “Honestly, Teddy, they never slowed down. We’ve made so much social progress that people think that dark magic is almost out of the picture, but it’s not that simple.”

“No, I know,” Teddy said hurriedly, feeling quite embarrassed. The last thing he needed was Neville thinking he didn’t know anything about his own subject. “Dark magic and blood purity aren’t mutually exclusive.”

Neville nodded. “Couldn’t have said it better myself. Just take a look at those runes and let me know what you can find. And stay vigilant about any weird student activity. You know, students that seem particularly attached to you or who ask you too many questions.”

Teddy furrowed his eyebrows.

“Well, I suppose you have a lot of students who get attached, don’t you?” Neville seemed to read his mind. “Don’t worry, the same thing happened to me when I first started here. Eventually, you’ll be old and gross to them like the rest of us.”

Neville gave him a reassuring clap on the shoulder and headed out of the room. Teddy let his head fall in his hands. Sometimes he felt like the world at Hogwarts was moving faster than he was. He was always out of breath, always one step behind. It never felt this way when he was a student here.

When Teddy was a student here, Hogwarts had felt so simple. He had a definitive place. He was Teddy Lupin, Hufflepuff keeper. Then, prefect. And finally, Head Boy. He had a place in the mass of students, even if he never quite had one at home.

He couldn’t find his place among the professors. He didn’t know what sort of teacher he was. Was he fun and lenient? Was he a stickler?

Sometimes, he had dreams about dying in this castle and teaching Defense for the rest of his lonely existence, without ever having realized he’d died. At least Binns knew he was dead. And it wasn’t like anyone else was looking to fill his job description.

But to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts was a sign of prestige. It meant you were a qualified teacher, with experience and knowledge enough to form the minds of the next generation. He understood how Chelsea, despite being the second-youngest on staff, formed part of that special group.

Teddy was barely out of Hogwarts when he applied for the job. And Minerva gave it to him with hardly a second glance. _Absolutely_ , she’d said. _I can’t think of anyone more perfectly suited_.

And now he was here, a step behind and always breathlessly confused. Out of place. He’d always thought Hogwarts was a place he’d always belong, but he was starting to feel less sure of it by the minute.

He pulled himself to his sorry feet. At the least, he could spend the rest of the day crouched over some old runes.


	3. Jackson Bane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nina and Jackson get up to no good.

“Oh, this is so _exciting!_ ” Iskra squealed. She settled comfortably onto Nina’s four-poster bed. “This is exactly what we’ve been hoping for!”

“Be quiet,” Nina teased. But she was excited, too. She’d never gone to Hogsmeade with a boy before.

Iskra fell back onto Nina’s bed, looking up at the ceiling. “I just hope it goes well. Do you think it’ll go well?”

Nina considered it. She didn’t think it would go _poorly_ , but she had never been on a date before. How was she to know what made one good or bad? She didn’t even know if she was going to kiss him.

She thought of his lips stretched into a smile. She was probably going to kiss him.

“I hope so,” she admitted. “It just feels like, for the first time, I have a real possibility of moving on.”

“It’s high time.” Iskra said, not unkindly. “For both of you.”

Jealousy squeezed at her. “It’s been two years. You’d think he’d move on.”

“Do you think it’s awkward for him in lessons?” Iskra dropped her voice to a whisper. “I mean, he’s teaching the sisters of his ex-girlfriend and her current boyfriend. Must be a rude awakening every time he takes attendance.”

Nina bit her cheek. “I don’t think so. He’s very professional. Besides, I do think he’s happy for Victoire and Aleksander. He never seems awkward at family functions.”

“Hmm,” Iskra made an understanding noise. “Well, Aleks always says differently, but maybe he’s just insecure. It’s awkward for him, too.”

She could still imagine them tucked up next to each other on the couch, whispering and laughing in each other’s ears.

“Can we change the subject?”

She winced. It came out a little harsher than she meant it to, but Iskra didn’t look bothered.

“No, you’re right. I’m sorry. We’re here to focus on bigger and better things!” She burst upright again, flashing the other girl a toothy grin. “The dawn of a new era. What shall we call you? Ninson? Jackina?”

Nina scrunched her nose. “Those are both terrible.”

She ran a comb through her eyebrows, the finishing touch on her grooming for the morning. She didn’t bother putting on any makeup. She never did. Iskra was already made up and ready to go. She didn’t have a date in line, but Nina was sure she’d find one by the end of the day. She always did.

They were so opposite in many ways, but that was why Nina found herself so drawn to Iskra. In many ways, Iskra was so like Victoire. She was witty and fearless and loyal, and Nina loved them both for it. But Iskra wasn’t as reserved as Victoire, and she burst into every room like a beacon of light. Nina liked that a lot. In that way, she supposed, she was quite similar to her best friend.

Iskra offered an arm. “Come on then, can’t keep him waiting too long.”

“Certainly not,” agreed Nina.

* * *

They’d decided to meet at the Three Broomsticks. She was grateful— it saved them an awkward carriage ride in which Nina would undoubtedly talk herself into a hole she could never climb out of. This way, she got to spend the whole ride prepping with Iskra what she should and shouldn’t do.

She should kiss him. At least, Iskra had insisted that she ought to. She shouldn’t talk about her cousins or Quidditch or anything that would take her on too far of a tangent. Not on the first date.

Nina had no clue there were so many regulations about what one must and musn’t do on dates. She had anticipated an afternoon of nervous chatter and butterbeers in some dimly lit corner of the Three Broomsticks. Iskra made it sound like a reconnaissance mission in which Nina was a highly trained spy and Jackson was some unsuspecting villain.

And try as she might to commit all of Iskra’s tips to memory, the moment they said their goodbyes at the front door of the Three Broomsticks, it all flew right out of her head.

She spent a few staggering moments staring at the door handle. The butterflies in her stomach felt so new to her, and they fueled her excitement even more. It had been so long that she’d felt this way for someone who wasn’t Teddy.

“You alright?”

Nina jumped at the sound, turning on her heel to face the voice. Jackson was waiting on her with an amused twinkle in his eyes.

“You have to twist it and push,” Jackson teased.

“I know how a door handle works,” Nina said breathlessly.

“Either way, you shouldn’t have to do that,” Jackson said. He stepped in front of her, pushing the door open easily. “A lady should never have to open her own doors.”

“I _can_ open my own doors.”

“But you shouldn’t have to.”

She scrambled for a reply, but found herself unfortunately speechless at his chivalry. Her previous romantic interactions with boys had consisted almost exclusively of spin-the-bottle kisses or seven uncomfortable minutes in heaven. His gesture was appreciated, but it felt so new.

She lead the way, hoping to find that dimly lit corner she had anticipated. Jackson stopped her, placing a gentle hand on the small of her back.

“What about here?” He asked. It was a small table in a bay window overlooking the Hogsmeade high street.

“Sure,” she said brightly.She didn’t let herself hesitate. If he was trying to match her boldness with some bravery of his own, she could respect that. The whole high street could watch their date for all she cared.

Around them, The Three Broomsticks bustled. Third years shouted heartily across the tables at each other, sloshing butter beer around. It slopped to the floor in a wide arc. Nina scrunched her nose.

“What is it?” Jackson asked. He followed her eye line to the third years. “Oh. God, so disrespectful. Should I give them a little jinx?”

“What?” Nina laughed. His eyes twinkled devilishly, and she couldn’t help but grin alongside him. “Alright, but it’s on your head.”

“Whatever do you mean?” He asked, feigning innocence.

Nina rolled her eyes, but her smile didn’t fall. He was seventeen, she supposed. He didn’t have the Trace. If he did magic outside of Hogwarts it was his business.

“Go on then,” she dared him.

“ _Tarantallegra_ ,” he whispered. A light purple flash zipped across the room, hitting one of the more boisterous third years squarely on the butt.

He let out a yap, clenching his behind, but before he could control it, his legs were on the move. He jumped and bobbed and pliéd around the room.

“A classic Irish jig?” Jackson suggested. He narrowed his brows for a sliver of a moment, and the boy’s arms came down hard on his sides. He jumped and kicked in the traditional Irish fashion.

Nina laughed sympathetically. “Oh, the poor boy. His friends are absolutely losing it.”

And it was true, his classmates were doubled over in laughter. The boy looked less than entertained, darting his eyes around the pub frantically for the source of the jinx. She felt a pang of pity.

“Let him go now, he can’t defend himself.” She said with a frown.

He raised an eyebrow. “You sure? It won’t hurt him to burn a few more calories. Besides, it’s a fine salute to our brothers across the channel.”

The boy was furiously red, near the point of tears. Nina felt a sudden wave of heat, a shame wash over her. “No, let him go.”

Jackson ended it with a flick of his wand. “Are you upset? I thought you wanted that.”

“No,” Nina she said quickly. Noting the darkness of his features, she continued quickly. “No, I’m not mad. Sorry, I—“

“Don’t apologize.” He smiled, though it looked a little strained. “You wanted to talk about the essay, didn’tyou?”

She deflated a little. She shouldn’t have told him to stop; he seemed so upset now. Part of her wished Iskra was sitting one table over, giving her signals.

“Yeah,” she said.

“I didn’t bring any books with me,” said Jackson, looking almost sheepish.

“Neither did I,” Nina laughed. “I wouldn’t have thought to bring my textbooks on a da—“

She stopped mid sentence, fighting the urge to clap her hands over her mouth. Clearly this wasn’t a date, he’d brought up the bloody essay and now she looked like an idiot.

“Date?” He finished, smiling faintly.

She flushed in response.

“It was my _intention_ for this to be a date, but you seemed a little uninterested when I asked you.” It was his turn for color to seep up his neck. “Was I wrong?”

She bobbed her head almost imperceptibly. “I would say so.”

A smile erupted across his cheeks, and Nina swore that in that exact moment the sun parted through the clouds just to shine on his face.

“We should still talk about the essay, though.” He said, with a subtle furrow of his brow. “I don’t know when we’ll have much else chance to do it.”

“That’s fine,” she said. And she meant it.

“What do you think we should write about? Wandless magic is such a broad topic, and I don’t know how we’ll be able to condense it into an essay.”

The idea seemed rather obvious to her. “Well, we should find an angle.”

He blinked. “An angle? Wouldn’t we just… write about the facts?”

“What a Ravenclaw thing to say,” she laughed. “I mean, let’s find a lens through which we can look at wandless magic.”

He nodded slowly. “So, for example, wandless magic in the context of domestic magic or defensive magic?”

“I mean we could do that, but what about something else? We could really get creative with it.” She faltered for a moment, grasping for an idea. “Oh!” said Nina suddenly, “What if we did something about whether it is more helpful to be bold or methodical when it comes to wandless magic?”

Jackson snorted. “You want to write an essay about whether being a Ravenclaw or a Gryffindor is a better approach to wandless magic?”

She shrugged, grinning. “I hadn’t thought of it like that, but why not? The founders themselves had certain beliefs about what makes good witches and wizards.”

“That’s a brilliant idea, Nina,” he said earnestly.

She flushed under his gaze, but she didn’t look away.

“Thank you,” she said instead.

“Do you think the founders had a point? I mean, do you really think boldness or wit makes you a better wizard?”

“Of course,” She said immediately. “I think Gryffindor had the right idea.”

He rolled his eyes, not unkindly. “Perhaps we should have a contest,” he said.

Nina quirked a brow. “Oh?”

“We should try to prove to each other why each approach makes us better wizards. Whoever wins gets to draw the same conclusion in the essay we submit to Lupin.”

She stuck out her hand across the table.

“You know what, Bane? You’ve got yourself a deal.”

* * *

After their first Defense class the next week, Jackson pulled Nina aside. The students pushed their way out of the classroom— Iskra taking specific note of the situation with a grin— and disappeared down the corridor. He was quiet until they all left, and Nina waited as patiently as she could.

“I think I know what our first test should be,” Jackson said excitedly.

Nina perked. She’d been scouring her mind all week for things to do, ways she could prove that boldness made better wizards, but she’d come up short. In that respect, Jackson already had a head start.

“Go on then,” she prompted him.

“I think we should break into the Restricted Section.”

She beamed. “Jackson Bane, you might as well hand the victory to me on a silver platter.”

He scoffed. “You’d be surprised.”

“It doesn’t take a genius—“ she began.

The door to the classroom opened all the way. Teddy appeared between them, watching in confused amusement as they jumped apart from each other like oil and water.

“What doesn’t take a genius?” Teddy asked with an amused smile.

Jackson was at a loss for words, bright red and stammering. “To— uh—“

“To do wandless magic,” Nina interrupted cooly.

Teddy fixed his eyes on her. “I think you’ll find it takes a particularly talented witch to perform wandless magic. Much less with confidence.”

Nina gulped. It had been a week since she dumped coffee over Teddy’s head, but she relived the memory almost every day in class. Working on wandless magic for the rest of the term was proving to be as dreadful as Iskra had made it sound.

“Perhaps,” Nina allowed.

Jackson was staring intensely at the stone floor. Boldness was starting to even out with wit, it seemed.

“Don’t the two of you have somewhere to be?” Teddy asked.

Jackson nodded meekly. “Bye, Nina. Professor.”

He disappeared down the hallway, and Nina could practically envision a tail between his legs.

“And you?” Teddy asked.

“I have a free period after Defense.”

“Would you like to help me with my third years? They’d love you.”

“No,” she said quickly.

He blinked, looking almost offended.

“No, I’d better go work on the essay.” Nina caught herself.

“Ah,” he said, allowing a smile to reappear on his face. “You’d better. I look forward to reading your work.”

She nodded, doing her best to avoid eye contact. He let the door close behind him, and he headed off towards the Great Hall. Nina exhaled, her back to the cold stone wall.

At least she knew how she’d prove to Jackson how fortune did favor the bold.

They resolved to meet that night at the owlry. It was loud enough there on its own between the screeching of the owls and the flapping of their wings in flight. Nobody would overhear their conversation or their strategy.

Jackson was already there when she arrived, but that came as no surprise to her. He straightened when he saw her walk in, and his eyes widened as he took in her appearance in pajamas.

She didn’t think it was an extraordinary sight, but he’d never seen her in anything less than a sweater before. Maybe he was right to be surprised by her appearance in a vest top and shorts.

“You ready?” He asked her, looking deliberately at her eyes.

She almost laughed. “Are you?”

Their journey to the library itself proved fairly simple. Jackson knew the prefect patrol routines— he’d nicked them from his roommate. He’d timed their journey to the library perfectly so that no stragglers in the hall would see them.

Nina was starting to see how methodology could play a key part in his plan. 

“Who’d have thought that all this time, you would be my perfect partner in crime?” she teased, whispering so that nobody would hear them.

“I might have had a clue,” he said.

He whispered as he cast the Unlocking Charm. The sound echoed in the corridor, distorted like a gust of wind. He ushered her in, and she closed the door behind them carefully. It barely squeaked on its hinges, sliding back into place with no more than a gentle _thunk_. She grinned.

There was something exhilarating about sneaking into places where she shouldn’t have been. Jackson clearly felt the same. He looked around in wonder at the moonlight-filled library. It was so vacant. It looked as pristine as a chessboard before the first move.

He gave her the honors of unlocking the Restricted Section.

“I thought ladies shouldn’t have to open their own doors?” She teased.

“Last I heard, you were perfectly capable of doing it on your own.”

She flicked the lock open with a quick _Alohamora_. He pushed the door open for her.

“But you’re right,” he admitted with a cheeky grin. “You shouldn’t have to.”

He made sure to close the door behind them just as delicately as Nina had closed the main doors. Nina balked at the bookshelves. She had no idea this annex of the library was so big. She ran a finger along the edge of a bookshelf. When she pulled it back, she saw her finger’s trail in the dust.

So big, and so disused, and locked only by a simple locking charm? She almost laughed at the ridiculousness of it all. Jackson was just as entranced as she was. She found him a few aisles up. The moonlight flashed against his teeth, grinning. She couldn’t help but smile back.

He grabbed her hand. It felt like watching herself from above-- slow motion in dramatic, sweeping angles, when he pulled her into him. He tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

She shut her eyes before he even leaned in. Her heartbeat was echoing in her ears, but she wasn’t sure if it was anxiety or anticipation. His lips brushed hers gently at first, then with more intensity as he gained confidence.

Nina was… underwhelmed. She kissed him back eagerly, but her mind couldn’t help but drift off. Was this really the big moment all the romantic comedies she’d watched lead up to? She expected the moment to be so much more grand. Like it’d knock the wind right out of her.

She did her best to focus on the sensation. Kissing him was nice. It was far better than any other kiss she’d had, and Jackson was approaching it with an enthusiasm that she had to respect. She matched his every move with one of her own, trying to immerse herself in the feeling. His hand in her hair; hers on his jaw.

It felt so choreographed. She screwed her eyes shut even tighter. _Just kiss him_ , she scolded herself as he moved down to her neck. _Isn’t this what you wanted?_

Because she _had_ wanted it. She’d sat in Defense and imagined the topography of his lips and the caress of his touch. She had it now, shouldn’t she have felt something more than this?

When he came back up to her lips, her mind flashed blue. She tried to stop herself from thinking about _him_ when Jackson was here— kissing her like she’d never been kissed before. But she couldn’t help herself. Her mind flashed to blue hair slowly turning brown. To the way his muscles moved beneath his robes when he wrote on the blackboard.

She finally melted into Jackson, pulling him closer to her almost frantically.

He pulled back grinning. His lips were swollen, cheeks flushed heartily. “Woah there,” he said.

Nina blushed, but she couldn’t bring herself to apologize.

Jackson stretched out a hand tentatively. He placed it against her chest, feeling for the beat of her heart. It pummeled against his palm rapidly. He pulled her hand to his; his heartbeat matched hers, stampeding wildly.

She felt it now. She didn’t care that it wasn’t him running through her mind. She felt whatever it was that she was supposed to feel from her lips to her very core.

He let his hand fall, brushing it against the hem of her shorts. She leaned against a lip on the bookshelf. She boosted herself onto it and tugged at his hips. She felt compelled, somehow, by the delicious rebellion of sneaking in to the library past curfew.

“Are you sure?” Jackson asked.

“What can I say? I’m here to make a strong case for boldness.”

She could hardly see him in the moonlight of the Restricted Section. He might have looked cautious or cocky, but she couldn’t tell. And she didn’t care.

She kissed him as she did before, like the air in the room might just run out if they weren’t sharing it. He smiled against her mouth, and she heard the ting of his belt buckle as it came unfastened.

Briefly, she wondered if it would hurt. Victoire said she bled the first time.

She didn’t care. She wanted this. She _needed_ this. They came together, and when she closed her eyes, she could pretend that it was everything she had dreamed it would be.


	4. A Shocking Proposition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teddy struggles with his duties.

Teddy straightened up his office for what felt like the hundredth time. He was nitpicking at this point, grouping his pens by color and labeling his filing folders. He even went so far as to dust the smarmy portrait of Gilderoy Lockhart that had been fixed to the wall with a Permanent Sticking Charm.

It wasn’t like his godfather, Harry, was going to care about the organization of his office. Harry had never even cared about the organization of Teddy’s bedroom. It was always Ginny who would poke her head in with a motherly scowl and tell him to straighten up the mess of clothes and books all over the floor. If Ginny could see his office now, she’d be thrilled.

Harry didn’t often ask to come visit Teddy at Hogwarts. He came a lot during Teddy’s first year: offering reassurances and the like. These days, Harry only came by Hogwarts for Auror duties. To borrow a book from the library or to consult a professor on a case. More than once, Teddy had stumbled into him coming out of the Gargoyle Corridor on a random weekday, no warning provided. They’d always meet for tea after, and Harry would listen as Teddy rambled on about lesson plans.

Needless to say, when Harry wrote Teddy with the explicit request to come visit, Teddy had jumped at the chance. And then he’d began to tidy like a lunatic.

“Do calm down,” yapped the smarmy portrait on the wall. “You’re stirring up all the dust again, and it’s getting on my hair.”

Not for the first time, Teddy envisioned himself drawing a large mustache on Gilderoy Lockhart’s stupid face. Teddy scowled, but his efforts were disturbed by a sharp rapping at the door.

“Come in,” said Teddy. He scrambled into his seat and pretended to grade something. Then, he looked up as if Harry had interrupted him in the middle of something extremely important.

“Is this a good time?” asked his godfather.

“Of course,” said Teddy with an easy grin, shoving the paper— a loose copy of some seventh year’s transcripts— back into their specific file folder before Harry could see.

“The place looks nice,” said Harry as he looked around. “You’ve definitely added your touch since the last time I was here.”

He pointed at the yellow bunting he, Teddy, had hung across some of the ceiling beams.

“Yes, well I hope if I continue to show my enthusiasm for Hufflepuff, eventually Minerva will make me Head of House.”

A grin erupted across Harry’s face. “That’s the spirit. I see you’ve still got old Gildy.”

“I think there’s a—“

“—Permanent Sticking Charm,” finished Harry. “Yeah, I spent ages trying to get that thing off when I taught here. It’s been there since 1992.”

Gilderoy Lockhart flashed the two of them a charming smile. His hair seemed to blow in some invisible wind.

“I put curtains over his face,” said Harry.

The portrait seemed to frown at the memory. “So inconsiderate! I couldn’t get a good tan for a whole year.”

Harry rolled his eyes. He flicked his wand, and a small set of yellow and black curtains covered the portrait. “Two birds with one stone,” he said.

“Thanks,” said Teddy. “Here, have a seat.”

“It’s funny, you look so much like your father these days. Especially in this room… It’s like I’ve travelled back in time.”

Teddy flushed, and he pushed up his glasses nervously. “I’m afraid I don’t have his same touch.”

“Nonsense,” dismissed Harry. “The kids love you. James says you’re his favorite professor.”

Teddy swelled with pride. “That’s kind of him to say.”

Harry settled into the seat across from Teddy.

“Look, I’m sure you’re wondering why I’ve asked to see you,” said Harry.

“Not that I don’t love to have you round… But yes, I have been.”

Harry began what sounded like a well-rehearsed pitch. “Teddy, you’ve been a massive help on my cases in the last few years. I appreciate all the work you’ve done for me, and I think it’s time you take the next step.”

Teddy shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Harry, I’ve told you before that I’m not interested in being an Auror.”

He caught a flick of disappointment in Harry’s eyes, and Teddy did his best to ignore it.

“No, it’s not that,” said Harry with a frown. “I was wondering if you’d consider coming on as an informant.”

Teddy blinked. “An informant? Don’t you already have Neville?”

“Who told you that?” asked Harry sharply. “Did Neville say—“

“No, of course not. I know he’s not allowed to say anything, I— well, I just gathered as much.”

The concern melted right off Harry’s face. “You’d make such a good Auror, Teddy.”

Teddy didn’t know what to say. His godfather continued on without missing a beat.

“But you make just as brilliant a professor. I’m not saying anything about the status of Mr. Longbottom’s employment—“ he winked heavily, “— but if you have any concerns, he is a great person to to talk to. You know, just in general.”

Harry stood, leaving a crisp white envelope on the desk. The familiar purple seal of the Ministry of Magic was emblazoned on the lip.

“I’m afraid I can’t stay,” said Harry apologetically. “I’ve got an interrogation with a particularly nasty Goblin kingpin.”

“Well, best of luck.” Teddy offered a small smile.

Harry disappeared out of his office without another word, leaving Teddy to contemplate the contents of that mysterious white letter.

* * *

It wasn’t too long after Harry left Teddy’s office that the N.E.W.T students began to pour into his classroom. He could hear their clobbering footsteps from in his private office, and Gilderoy Lockhart offered him a muffled and unprompted reminder that his lesson was about to begin.

“I know that, thanks,” snapped Teddy.

Teddy grabbed the lesson plan from his desk, feeling his stomach sink like a brick. It wasn’t a subject he was enthusiastic to teach, and every year he found himself regretting the lesson before it even began.

He descended the small staircase into the classroom. All eight of his N.E.W.T students stared at him with varying degrees of interest. Least interested of all, Nina Weasley and Iskra Krum, chatting between themselves with increasingly wild hand gestures.

Without a hello, Teddy turned to his blackboard. His hand was trembling almost imperceptibly, and he silently willed his letter to read clearly across the room as he wrote the day’s lesson plan on the board.

When he dropped his hand, gasps ripped across the room.

“Unforgiveables?” asked Leena Smith, a quiet Hufflepuff with dark, coily hair. “Surely we won’t be performing them?”

Nina and Iskra had finally stopped their bickering, and both of them looked between Teddy and the board with a sort of awe-struck horror.

“No,” assured Teddy. “Today, we will be taking a break from wandless magic. The Headmistress reminded me that today’s lesson must take place before the winter break in order to maintain the curriculum. If it was up to me, I would not be teaching Unforgiveable Curses at Hogwarts, but it was added to the program for a reason.”

“And that reason is?” asked Jackson Bane, who hadn’t taken his wide eyes off the board since class had begun, and he didn’t even spare Teddy a glance as he posed the question.

Teddy heaved a sigh. “Well, a group of well educated and powerful wizards— who also happen to be governors of the school— are of the opinion that N.E.W.T Defense students ought to be educated in these curses, considering some of you are considering a career in law enforcement.”

“And you don’t agree?” asked Leena, looking very nervous.

In fact, there was a general air of trepidation across the room. Even the most self-righteous Gryffindors in the room leaned back in their chairs, as if to make physical distance from themselves and the board.

Teddy considered his reply. Did he believe that N.E.W.T students ought to be taught Unforgiveables? He couldn’t say _no_ — he himself had gone through the lesson with Professor Creevey many years ago— but he wasn’t sure the answer was an enthusiastic yes either.

“I think that as N.E.W.T students, you have no legal obligation to be in school. You have achieved the Ordinary Wizarding Level, and… well, I suppose that you’re here because you want to be. And all of you— every single one of you—“ Teddy emphasized, hoping to stir a reaction in the straight-faced Nina Weasley, “—has incredible potential to be the next generation of Aurors and Magical Law Enforcement.”

“That doesn’t really answer the question though, does it?” said Iskra Krum with a furrowed brow.

“I suppose it doesn’t,” said Teddy slowly.

His students peered up at him with expectant looks. The truth was, Teddy was beginning to suspect, since his last meeting with Neville, that the Unforgiveables had _really_ been added as a way to find any students with an interest in dark magic. In a controlled setting like a classroom, Teddy would be able to find recognize any students with improper interest in the subject.

“And it won’t,” he said, voice resolute. “You’re not here because you want my opinion, are you?”

“Definitely not,” grumbled Nina.

“You are all familiar with the contents and consequences of each of these Curses, you studied them ad nauseam for the O.W.Ls, I’m sure. But as a quick refresher, who can tell me what the three Unforgiveable Curses are?” asked Teddy, choosing to ignore Nina’s remark.

Jackson Bane stretched an arm into the air. Teddy pointed at him lazily. “Yes, Mr. Bane?”

“The three unforgivable curses are the Imperius, Cruciatus, and Killing Curses. Their purposes are to control, torture, and kill respectively,” said Jackson matter-of-factly.

“Correct, five points to Ravenclaw. And who can tell me what your best protection is against all of these spells?”

A confused silence settled over the room. Not even Jackson raised his hand again, he just furrowed his dark brows at his desk in confusion. Eventually, Iskra Krum raised a tentative hand.

“Yes, Miss Krum?”

“Well, this wasn’t on the O.W.L, but I know the Imperius Curse can be resisted with practice and willpower. The Cruciatus Curse— I’m not quite sure, but maybe you could use defensive magic like shield charms. And the Killing Curse… well, there’s no getting around it.”

Teddy nodded, “Almost. Five points to Gryffindor anyway, you got two out of three.”

“What do you mean?” asked Jackson. “There is no way around the Killing Curse. Full stop.”

“Then how do you explain Mr. Harry Potter?” prompted Teddy.

Another confused silence filled the room. He saw Nina and Iskra conferring in whispers for a moment, before Iskra raised her hand again. He nodded at her.

“Harry Potter was saved by sacrificial protection from his mother’s love. My point stands though. Neither of his parents had any ability to prevent the Killing Curse from getting to them. It was only in his mother choosing death to save her son that protected Mr. Potter. But that doesn’t mean that the Killing Curse can be combated, it can just be… capitalized upon.” Iskra swallowed hard.

“Was this really not on your O.W.Ls?” asked Teddy with a frown. “Sacrificial protection is one of the most important tools a wizard has against dark magic.”

The Ravenclaws scribbled down notes.

“At any rate,” continued Teddy, “today’s lesson isn’t just a review from your OWLS, we’re here to talk about something serious. And dark. And I would like to offer you an opportunity to leave if you’d like to, before the lesson actually begins. Today we will be learning how to resist the Imperius Curse.”

Iskra gasped sharply across the room. Next to her, Nina looked pale, but she stuck out her chin. Jackson was the only person who seemed to match her resilient attitude. Leena, along with the rest of the class, had gone sickly pale.

“And this means that I will, in fact, be performing the Imperius Curse on all of you today. Perhaps more than once. If you want to be an Auror, it’s imperative that you develop this skill, but make no mistake— it is impressively difficult.”

“Can you do it?” asked Nina quietly.

Teddy shook his head. “No. I can’t. At least, not fully. I nearly did it once in my seventh year, but I couldn’t shake the curse completely.”

“Is your curse particularly strong?” asked Jackson, voice wavering.

Teddy winced. “Strong enough. Now, if you’d like to leave, please do now. Nobody will think less of you, and you can get your points from writing an essay on the same subject over break.”

Two Hufflepuffs and a Ravenclaw girl scurried out of the room. Teddy swallowed hard. They were down to five. He hated this lesson. He hated it more than he hated anything else. Who did the governors think they were? Having him spend an afternoon practicing Unforgivable Curses on teenagers?

“Form a line,” he said dully. All five of them rose to form a short line in the middle of the classroom.

It was only worse that the fact that he knew these kids well was going to make the curse stronger. He scanned their faces. Jackson Bane, the smartest wizard of his year. Nina Weasley, a girl he cared for like a sister. Iskra Krum, among the most driven girls he’d ever encountered. Leena Smith, a righteous advocate for blood equality. Quinton Wood, a star Quidditch player in the making.

He’d spent so long in a classroom with these kids that he felt like he knew exactly the ways into their minds. 

At the front of the line was Jackson Bane, looking ghostly white, but clenching his jaw with a degree of dignity.

“ _Imperio_ ,” said Teddy firmly, hating the way the magic tingled up his arm.

He sent Jackson jumping across the tables, dancing in place, and cartwheeling down the aisles between the desks. The students watched on in horror as he did a backflip off a desk, landing it with perfect execution. All the while, there was a tension in Jackson’s brow that Teddy was rooting for. Jackson was close— Teddy could feel the tingle in his arm start to lessen and lessen with every passing minute.

Eventually, it disappeared entirely. Jackson panted, flushed with effort, but very much himself.

“I expected it to hurt,” said Jackson when he finally caught his breath. “It didn’t… It felt peaceful, actually. It was only after the third cartwheel that I saw my opportunity. It was like a little hole in the glamour, and I just kept trying to make it bigger and bigger…”

“Excellent,” said Teddy. He hoped he sounded enthusiastic. “Twenty points to Ravenclaw.”

Jackson grinned, returning to the back of the line. Teddy’s stomach rolled— were they all going to want to go more than once?

The rest of the students carried on in quick succession. Teddy gave up after ten minutes each— none of them seemed to come close to breaking the spell, not the way Jackson had. The tingle in Teddy’s arm only seemed to heighten with every round, and he recognized the spell growing stronger with every casting.

When Nina came to the front of the line, Teddy’s breath caught in his throat. She had her brow furrowed resiliently the way Victoire always did. Chin out, ready to fight. He shook the vision away, and it shattered neatly.

Teddy knew that she would be the easiest to curse out of them all. “ _Imperio_ ,” he frowned.

The tingle began in the tips of his fingers, but progressed very slowly. Nina looked almost like herself— there was a certain look of placid hypnotism on her face—but her eyes still sparked behind the emptiness on her features.

Teddy pursed his lips in concentration. She was fighting against the spell enough that he hardly felt like he had control over it. He thought he’d gained a bit of traction as the tingling slipped up to his wrist, but it disappeared all at once. Teddy’s jaw fell, and Nina stared at his wand in wide-eyed shock.

“Do it again,” protested Nina. “You must have cast it weakly.”

Teddy felt the protest forming on his lips, but Iskra chimed in before he could speak.

“Yeah, there’s no way she could have broken it that quick. None of us even got it!”

“ _I_ got it,” frowned Jackson.

“You don’t count,” said Iskra with a roll of her eyes. “You’re the best in the year.”

Nina shook her head, as if she still couldn’t believe what had happened. “There’s no way.”

“I don’t know,” frowned Teddy. “I don’t know if I feel comfortable—“

“Go on then,” encouraged Jackson. “You said it yourself, we’re all going to need this skill.”

Nina was waiting with her arms crossed, the very picture of impatience.

“Fine. But only because you all requested it. _Imperio!_ ”

He gave it all he could. He tried to conjure up everything he knew about Nina. Most of it came second-hand from Victoire, but it would be enough. The obstinate behavior, the secret vulnerability… Teddy couldn’t count how many times Victoire had come up to him, worried about her little sister.

So, Teddy did what any dark wizard would do; he took those vulnerabilities, and he used them against her. The tingling was nearly at his elbow, but it was losing ground quickly. He’d managed to make Nina begin to draw an impressive portrait of Gilderoy Lockhart in chalk on the board, but she was resisting every movement.

“She’s doing it!” cried Iskra in delight. “Watch her hand!”

The chalk was starting to split in her hand as Nina fought for control. The tingling was nearly at his wrist now. Nina’s arm swerved, still holding the chalk, in a jerky motion across the board, blurring the drawing with her sleeve.

“Yes, Nina!” cheered her classmates.

The encouragement worked; the tingling fell from his fingers almost immediately. Nina turned, panting heavily, back to her class.

“Who’d have known your stubbornness would come in handy?” teased Iskra.

Nina rolled her eyes, but she practically glowing with the victory.

“Alright,” said Teddy, drawing their attention. “I want an essay on resisting the Imperius Curse on my desk first day back from term. For now, your focus is still wandless magic, okay?”

“What?” barked Nina in protest. “The only reason I stayed was to get out of writing an essay!”

Teddy offered a sympathetic frown. “How unfortunate. One roll of parchment, Miss Weasley.”

* * *

As soon as his seventh years left, Teddy disappeared back up to his office, mind still very much on the letter Harry had left him. Teddy felt sick— he was exhausted from a few hours of performing such rigorous magic, but it was more than that— his stomach flipped at the thought of doing that kind of magic at all.

Teddy was simply not built of the same stuff as his godfather was. The magic had made him feel sick and slimy; he couldn’t imagine having to use it in the field. He wasn’t like Harry. At least, not in that way. He couldn’t be an Auror; he couldn’t handle it.

He wasn’t sure he wanted to have to use that kind of magic in any situation. Yet, for the two years he’d been at Hogwarts, he’d have to curse student after student in the name of education.

Or, more likely, in the name of preventing the next great Dark Wizard from rising to power. Teddy wasn’t sure he wanted that kind of responsibility, either. Managing his first years was hard enough…

No, Teddy just wanted to teach kids about redcaps and werewolves; he wanted to prepare them for world around them, but he wanted them to fall in love with learning, as he had done when he was a student at Hogwarts.

The letter still sat on his desk where Harry had left it, unopened. Teddy shoved it into his pocket. He needed to track down Neville, tell him that he couldn’t be a Ministry informant. It wasn’t what he was built for.

Teddy scrambled down the stairs of his office and through his classroom. If he was right, Neville would be in the Great Hall grabbing lunch after his second year Herbology class.

 _THUNK_. Teddy hit something soft but firm, and a flurry of paperwork scattered to the ground.

“Terribly sorry,” said Teddy quickly, bending down to grab the papers.

“It’s fine, really,” replied a warm, feminine voice.

Teddy looked up, to find Chelsea Bigby a few inches from his face, smiling warmly. He flushed, grabbing the rest of the papers as quickly as he could.

“It happens to me all the time,” she said reassuringly, a little pink herself.

“Here are your papers,” he shoved them into her hands awkwardly. “They’re a bit crumpled now, sorry.”

She waved him away. “It’s fine, really. Just some first year essays on Cure for Boils. Not like I’m holding the bloody Rosetta Stone,” she laughed.

If Teddy was being perfectly honest, he wasn’t quite sure what the Rosetta Stone was. He nodded vaguely.

“You’ll have to excuse me, Chelsea, I was just on—“

“I actually wanted to talk to you,” she said quickly. Flushing, she went on. “I had been hoping we’d get to spend some time together in Hogsmeade the other week.”

Teddy stared blankly at her.

“See, I think we’d really get on—“

“We get on fine, don’t we?” he asked, a bit confused.

“Yes, that’s exactly it, I think we could get on even _better_ ,” she said deliberately.

Teddy’s eyes lit with recognition. “Oh! Oh, wow.”

“Don’t you think?” she asked, batting her eyelashes convincingly.

And part of Teddy was convinced-- he certainly wasn’t immune to the charms of witty, soft-spoken girls like Chelsea Bigby. But he only fancied girls like Chelsea Bigby because they reminded him of one girl in particular.

“Oh goodness, erm— well, to be perfectly honest, I’m not really looking for anything…”

Her expression changed at once: the delicate flush that had graced her cheeks suddenly turned very dark, and she looked away.

“Of course! Of course you’re not. That’s fine. Of course that’s fine— I, well, I—“

“I was going to find Neville in the Great Hall,” said Teddy, pointing in that general direction.

Chelsea still wouldn’t meet his eyes. “I’m afraid you’ve just missed him. He’s in his fourth year lesson now.”

“Ah,” nodded Teddy. “Just my luck. Very sorry again, Chelsea.”

She grew impossibly red. “Don’t be,” she squeaked, and darted down the hall.

Teddy turned back into his classroom, letting out a heavy sigh. He’d managed to scare off one of the only friends he had on staff. Just his bloody luck.


	5. The Second Test

Iskra had saved Nina a seat in the back of History of Magic. Nina came in late, careful not to draw Binn’s attention, and sat down next to her.

“Where have you been?” Iskra hissed. “We’re doing the Wizarding Wars today. It’ll be on the N.E.W.T!”

Nina bit back a snarky comment about how she lived through a Wizard Wars lecture at every family dinner.

“I overslept,” she said instead.

“I heard you come in late again last night.” Iskra narrowed her eyebrows disapprovingly. “It’s not a good idea to be roaming the castle after curfew.”

“Yeah, well it’s not like Voldemort’s lurking the halls, waiting to make Horcruxes out of disobedient children,” she snapped.

A few heads turned, shooting Nina reproachful stares. She rolled her eyes at them all.

“You say it yourself,” frowned her best friend, “trouble seems to find you. Stop giving it opportunities.”

Nina didn’t say anything. She looked intently at Binn’s translucent frame. He droned on about the Battle of Hogsmeade in 1977, and Nina let the words pass through one ear and out the other.

The Ravenclaws scratched their quills eagerly against their parchment. Nina ought to have taken after their example, but she was steeping in her anger. It was mighty ironic of Iskra, she decided, to lecture her about sneaking off after curfew when Iskra spent the majority of fifth year in the Hufflepuff Common Room with an old boyfriend.

Binns projected some old photographs of the destruction on Hogsmeade onto the board. Nina flinched as they came into vision. Storefronts entirely destroyed, fire licking the streets. Bodies piled up in the ditches, and the Dark Mark projected into the sky. It was enough to make her stomach roll.

A hand shot into the air. Binns pointed at it, disinterested.

“Yes, Mr. Bone?”

Nina would have laughed under other circumstances at the butchering of Jackson’s name, but her mind was elsewhere.

“What kind of dark charms create this kind of destruction?”

Next to her, Nina heard Iskra draw sharp breath. Nina was barely paying attention, not even as Binns hummed out a response about explosive magic and the spell _Morsmorde_.

Nina was focused on the strange combination of guilt and excitement in her stomach about her nights sneaking through the castle.

She was pleased to find that as the days trickled by, Nina found herself more and more content in Jackson’s arms. Kissing him was beginning to feel less like a chore, and more like an exercise in losing herself. She would close her eyes and let the feelings wash over her like a baptism by rebound.

She wondered why she’d never done this before.

As the days went on, she didn’t wish so much that Jackson’s hair was blue, or that he was a Ravenclaw instead of a Hufflepuff. Instead, she let herself be charmed by his smile and by the way his hair curled deliciously onto his forehead.

But sometimes, when she’d come back to her room after a night of sneaking through the castle, she’d stare at the ceiling for what felt like hours, running it all through her mind.

On her way to class that particular day, she had passed the library, and her heart had lurched at the memory of the night she’d spent there with Jackson.

Sometimes, she didn’t know how she could look him in the eye when that night, she’d spent the whole time thinking about someone else. Worse, she wondered if somehow the whole school knew. That every passing whisper was one directed at her, and that soon enough, everyone would know that _she_ was a slag who hooked up with someone in the Restricted Section.

But as she watched Jackson ask question after question, eyes narrowed in focus, she realized he wasn’t worried at all. He wasn’t ashamed. He was just carrying on with his day, as he had done for the week since that night, and that was what she needed to do, too.

After the lesson, Jackson came up to Nina’s desk. He glanced at her unopened book bag with a snicker. Nina shrugged; he knew just as well as she did that these lessons were useless to her.

“I’ve just had an idea for our second test,” said Jackson.

“And?” Nina threw the unopened book bag over her shoulder.

Next to her, Iskra huffed and hurried out of the classroom. Nina rolled her eyes.

“What’s her problem?” frowned Jackson.

“Nothing,” replied Nina lightly.

Jackson watched her leave, brows furrowing as the door slammed heavily behind her.

“Right,” he said, frowning still. “Walk with me?”

He brought her to the Great Hall. Lunch was nowhere near ready, but students milled aimlessly in the hall, savoring the break times between classes with their friends. Jackson lead her to the Ravenclaw table. Down the table, a few first years chatted eagerly among themselves. Jackson sat just out of their earshot, careful that nobody could hear their plan.

“I’m afraid this one’s less dangerous,” he said. “You cheated last time, so I’ve had to think of something less… invasive.”

“I cheated?” protested Nina with a cheeky grin. “However did I cheat?”

“You—“ Jackson turned bright red, “— distracted your opponent.”

Nina snorted. “Whatever you say, Bane.”

Jackson flicked his head, sending a dangling curl out of his face. “I think, for our next test, we should play Wizard’s Chess.”

Nina blinked. “Wizard’s Chess?”

“Have you never played?”

“Of course I’ve played!” Nina protested huffily. “It’s just not something I’d think had much to do with what we’re trying to prove here.”

“Of course it does. Whether you’re methodological or bold in your approach to Wizard’s Chess is the best test there is!”

She did her best not to roll her eyes. “Fine, but we’re breaking into something next time.”

“Whatever you say,” he grinned.

“When are we having this match, then?”

“Next week,” he said quickly. “I’ve got a lot to do this week. Preparing.”

“For the exams?” asked Nina with a frown

“Sure,” he said. “Look, I’ve got to go. I’ll see you after class?”

She nodded. “Of course.”

* * *

It was a brisk Saturday afternoon when Nina and Jackson scurried out to the grounds to play a game of wizard’s chess. Jackson had nicked a set from the Ravenclaw common room, and he carried it in his hand like a briefcase as they made their way down the hill towards Hagrid’s Hut.

There was a flat patch of grass between the pumpkin patch and the tree line of the Forbidden Forest. Nina had been here plenty of times with Victoire, back when both of them were still at Hogwarts. It felt a bit like a home court advantage, despite the fact that she was not the most familiar with wizard’s chess.

With the flick of his wand, Jackson set a blue tartan floating to the ground for them to sit on. He cast a brief Heating Charm around their tartan, which combatted the gentle breeze perfectly. He threw their backpacks to the corner of the blanket, perfectly out of sight.

“Would you grab my cloak for me, actually?” asked Nina, pointing at their backpacks in the corner. “It’s a bit cold.”

“Sure,” he said. “Will you set up the board?”

She nodded, and set to work.

“How familiar _are_ you with wizard’s chess?” asked Jackson when he finally sat down.

“I set the board up, didn’t I?” said Nina proudly. “Can’t be too bad.”

He snorted. “It’s a bit more complicated than you’d think.”

“I’ll be fine,” she assured him.

She knew the general idea, and she’d spent enough time playing wizard chess at Weasley family gatherings that she could stumble through a game. She almost beat Victoire once. Well, maybe not _almost_ , but it was close enough that it’d drawn a small crowd of eager, redheaded cousins.

“You go first,” he said, twisting the board so that the white players faced him.

“First you open my doors, then you let me make the first move in chess…” she said with a shake of her head. “And they chivalry is dead.”

“There are a few noble souls trying to keep the tradition alive.”

Nina feigned like she was dipping a hat. Then, she sent one of her pawns forward. Jackson quirked a brow, watching her movement like it had strategy to it.

He met her move with one of his own.

“You copying me?” she teased. He’d sent a pawn forward.

He rolled his eyes. “As if.”

“Why didn’t we just play in the Great Hall?” asked Nina conversationally as the game progressed. They’d settled into a focused silence, and Nina was growing tired of the sound of the wind brushing through the branches.

“Not much of a date, is it?” replied Jackson.

“This is a date? Well, the polite thing to do is lose to your date, just so you know.”

“You should keep that in mind yourself,” Jackson said, frowning over the board. “I don’t even know how you’ve done that.”

Nina quirked her head at the board. The pieces had generally moved closer to the middle of the board, and her bishop had been scissoring across the board, taking out unsuspecting pieces. “Me neither, to be fair.”

Jackson _hmph_ ed.

“Our second date.” The smile fell from her face as she asked, “What does that make us?”

Jackson was distracted by his move. He sent a knight to take out one of her pawns. Nina frowned at the demolished pieces on the board.

He looked up to grin at her. “Playing chess.”

“Couldn’t have possibly guessed _that_.”

Secretly, she was relieved. Jackson was sweet and funny— not to mention an enthusiastic kisser and a killer partner in crime— but she couldn’t see him being anything more than a secret fling.

She took out his knight with a neighboring pawn. He grumbled out a curse.

“I did want to talk to you about something, though,” he said sheepishly.

She eyed him up. “And what’s that?”

“I have kind of a crazy idea for our third test.”

“We haven’t even finished this one yet!” Nina gestured to the dust of broken chess pieces that covered his tartan.

“About that,” he said, flicking his hand. His rook demolished her favorite bishop with a dramatic stab. “Very sorry.”

Nina groaned. “What am I going to do now?”

“Well, you see the castle-looking one? It moves forward and backward; you could try moving them out of their spots.”

“I know what a rook is,” huffed Nina. She sent one of hers careening at his remaining knight. The horse and the rider toppled to the board dramatically.

“Should have seen that coming,” said Jackson, who was cursing to himself. “Anyway— I think the third test has to be the ultimate test. It needs to raise the stakes.”

“Anything other than this,” grumbled Nina, who was losing, despite her early lead.

Jackson laughed. “It’s not _that_ bad.”

“You’re kicking my ass!”

“Well, you made a convincing argument for boldness last time,” he blushed.

“Is it too late to deploy the same strategy this time around?”

He turned impossibly redder. “Yes! I’m beating you, let me have the win.”

“Fine,” sighed Nina, as she moved a pawn around just to get her turn over with.

“Okay, so here’s my idea. What if we break into McGonagall’s office? And you know, nick something. Nothing important, of course. Just a little keepsake for the two of us.”

Nina stopped dead in her tracks, looking up at him with a dumbfounded look. “Are you mental?”

“Hear me out,” he said quickly. “It’s the ultimate test. You need both boldness and brains to pull something like that off.”

“And a fair amount of dumb luck.”

“Not if we control for the variables.”

Nina stared at him blankly. “Look— I don’t really know what that means, but I do know that breaking into McGonagall’s office is a death sentence. Much less taking a keepsake to remember it by! What do you want to do, stick it on your refrigerator like a travel momento? _Please_.”

“I think we could make it happen,” said Jackson eagerly. “I could make an Invisibility Cloak and we already know the Advanced Unlocking Charms to get in.” He scanned Nina’s unenthusiastic face for any ounce of encouragement. “Fine, we obviously don’t have to do it, I just thought you’d be into it. Your family is famous for Hogwarts hijinks. It’d be your own adventure to add to the list.”

Nina bit her lip. It would be an amazing story to tell her cousins— especially Fred and James, the smarmy gits. She’d love to see the look on their faces when she told them the mischief she’d managed to get up to. No map required.

Her face fell as she thought through what her mother would do if she ever found out. Nina would likely never live to see another day if Fleur Delacour-Weasley heard of that nonsense.

“Think about it,” encouraged Jackson.

“I will,” said Nina begrudgingly. “But I’ll tell you now, it’s likely a no.”

“I can live with that,” said Jackson.

He sent his final pawn forward at a diagonal, knocking out Nina’s queen.

“Also, checkmate.”

Nina’s queen hit the board with a thud, sending up a cloud of dust.

“You bastard!” she protested with a dumbfounded grin.


	6. Careers, Evaluated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teddy conducts Nina's career evaluation-- it does not quite go to plan.

Teddy frowned sideways at the runes on his desk. He hadn’t touched the envelope Harry gave him since his awkward encounter with Chelsea— she still scurried in the opposite direction when they encountered each other in the halls— but he’d been squinting at these runes for weeks now. He _thought_ he had been making progress reading them upside down, but it turned out there was a coffee stain on the paper that made him think one of the runes was shaped differently. It had been a disappointing discovery when he realized he’d spent three hours staring at an upside-down piece of paper for no reason at all.

The door to his classroom swung open. Teddy jumped at the sound, shoving the paper into a random desk drawer before the intruder could see it. His private office was still fairly tidy from his frantic cleaning, but his classroom desk continued to resemble a paper monster more than it did a functioning desk.

“Hello, Nina,” said Teddy pleasantly as she walked in. “What brings you in?”

She sighed wearily. Teddy raised an eyebrow. “That bad, huh?”

“I wanted to discuss our Imperius essay with you. And other things— I, well, I think I’m struggling a little in class.”

This came as a surprise to Teddy. He told her as much. “You seem to do well in this class.”

Nina snorted, and mumbled something under her breath about mirror charms and Jackson Bane’s notes. Teddy pretended not to hear.

“Right, well go on then. What’s on your mind?”

“Well, the Imperius for one. I have no clue why I could resist it so easily. Everyone else seemed to struggle so much… And for me, it seemed to be nothing more than a matter of muscling my way through it.”

Teddy gave a considering nod. It wasn’t far from the truth. “Well, that’s a key part of it. Only witches with particularly strong willpowers can overpower the Imperius Curse. I think that tends to run in your family. On both sides, really.”

“Really?” asked Nina, looking visibly relieved.

Teddy shrugged. “From what I understand, your father can overpower it well, and I remember Vic writing me about being able to overpower it when she had the lesson.”

“Ah,” said Nina. “It’s not just that…”

“What concepts, then?” asked Teddy, rummaging through his papers. “According to my notes, you’ve been getting Exceeds Expectations on all of your essays and exams. Oh, well except that one, but that’s fine, nobody did well on that one…”

He slowed to a stop, realizing keeping her as a captive audience gave him the ideal opportunity to work on her career evaluation. She looked poised to ask another question, but he directed her to sit down before she could speak.

“Sit down. Now is as good as a time as any to do your career evaluation.”

Surprise tugged at her eyebrows before she scowled. “If we must,” she said tiredly, and settled into the seat across from him. Their eyes met for a moment, and Teddy blinked.

Sometimes it was breathtaking how much Nina looked like Victoire. Sometimes it would appear to him like a Veela hallucination. It’d be all he could focus on for a few blistering moments, and he’d be at a complete loss for words. A complete loss for anything, really, except to blink stupidly in her direction. He’d catch Nina crinkle her nose into her book exactly the way Victoire would, or scowl half-heartedly like she just had done, and his stomach would plummet to the floor. Sometimes he’d even have to grab onto his desk.

And just as fast as it came, Nina would make a crass remark, or flick her red hair over her shoulder, and the illusion would be shattered.

He cleared his throat, shifting around some papers and breathing as subtly as he could. He returned his attention to her marks. They were as good as they needed to be. She did well in Defense. He couldn’t say much about her other subjects, but if she was managing in those, he reckoned she’d have decent prospects.

“So, what are you interested in doing?” he asked.

Nina shrugged. She seemed to be looking deliberately at anywhere that wasn’t him. “Dunno,” she mumbled.

He did his best not to let out an exasperated sigh. “Well, you seem to do really well in this class, what are your other classes like?”

She snorted. “Not as good as this one.”

“And why is that?”

She finally met his eyes. She stared at him long enough that he shifted uncomfortably in his seat before she went on. “I guess this is all I’m good at.”

He furrowed his brows. He was sure he had her transcripts around here, if he could just find him underneath all this rubbish.

She sighed deeply. “Look, can we not do this? Just tell them I’m a functional squib and we can all move on.”

He snapped up to look at her. She wasn’t looking at him; she was staring keenly at her shoes. “Don’t say that,” he said sternly.

He unearthed her transcripts. He smoothed out the wrinkled paper in front of him. Her grades weren’t that bad. Not as stellar as Victoire’s or Louis’s, but not awful either.

Nina rolled her eyes. “What does it matter?”

“You’re almost out of Hogwarts. It matters because next year you join the workforce.”

“Yes, but I’m not good at anything.” Her voice sounded tight, and something in him panged in sympathy. “I’m not like my siblings. Honestly, sometimes I feel like I don’t belo—“

“Don’t say that,” he said again. He knew exactly what she was going to say. _I don’t belong_.

How many times had he felt the exact same way? At Hogwarts. At home, with Andromeda. At Harry’s house. In the stupid teacher’s lounge. Teddy was no stranger to feeling out of place.

“You don’t get it!” She protested. “Louis and Victoire are both geniuses. Dad was a Head. Hell, so was Vic! Mum was a bloody Triwizard Champion. How am I supposed to compete with that? I’m not special, Teddy.”

He didn’t know what to say. Suddenly, it was all too warm in his classroom and he was paralyzed by her intense, blue eyes, staring him down. She was expecting him to tell her that she was special. And she was— of course she was. But he felt so tripped up by the way her words had pierced right through him.

He never would have assumed she felt like this. She was _Dominique_. She was invincible.

She scoffed. He’d taken too long to answer. “See? Not even you have faith in me.”

“That’s not true,” he said immediately.

“Could have fooled me,” she grumbled.

“Come here,” he said. He scooted over on his chair, making room for her to sit down next to him.

She paused for a beat. “What?”

“Come _here_ ,” he said. He patted the chair. “Not afraid of me, are you?”

She obliged, albeit begrudgingly. 

“Look,” he said. He pointed at her essays, going back over with his quill and underlining all the insightful remarks. “These are well done.”

She fought back a smile, and he relaxed a little. All he needed was to instill a little optimism in her— show her that she was plenty smart.

He pulled out a test. “You were the only one to catch this trick question here,” he pointed at a question about the nature of the Bat-Bogey Hex.

She finally let the smile slip, and she stared at the floor. She was probably hoping he wouldn’t see, but he was chuffed to have made her smile. He felt so protective over her sometimes, the same way he felt protective over the Potter kids. His almost-siblings.

“And you set the curve on the test everybody failed. You were so close to passing, but it just wasn’t quite there.” He smiled wistfully.

He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “Your uniform isn’t blue. But it doesn’t make you any less smart or any less special. You have massive potential Nina. You could do anything you wanted to.”

She finally met his eyes now, looking softer around the edges.

He smiled once more. He wanted her to leave the classroom a little more inspired, a little more hopeful. He was about to turn his head when he felt her hand on his cheek. She turned his jaw and she pulled him in.

It all happened so fast that he’d hardly had time to process it before she was kissing him. She tasted like pumpkin juice and scones. He was too stunned to move; her lips shifted against his and their cheeks brushed. She felt so soft against his sandpaper stubble. Part of him wanted to lean in further, to succumb to the sweetness of her mouth against his. But as she tilted her head, he pulled back, jumping away from her like he’d been burned.

“Dominique,” he breathed. “You— we can’t.”

“I’m of age,” she said. She looked painfully earnest. Wide eyes staring back at him. It made his stomach clench.

Teddy spluttered. “But I’m twenty three! And your professor! And I dated your sister and—“

“Victoire’s not that much older than me, so you can stop acting so precious about the age gap.” She crossed her arms, looking less optimistic by the second. “And she dumped _you_.”

He winced, trying not to relive the memory. “Aren’t you dating Jackson Bane?”

“Well, I’m trying to,” she said, flushing darkly.

“And you thought this would be a good way to do that?”

Her face fell. “I thought you were—“

Teddy matched her in shades of vermillion. “Nina, this can’t happen. In fact, this never happened.”

A slew of emotions crossed her face, each so fast he hardly had time to process them before it changed again. She settled on anger. “Fine,” she spat.

She pushed away from his desk, sending even more papers flying off it. She stalked out of his classroom, letting the door slam behind her hard. His breath came fast and heavy, scraping its way down his throat. He slammed his hands against the desk. He didn’t know what to do— he was all nervous energy and frustration.

He cursed loudly to no one but himself.

He grabbed an inkpot, throwing it as hard as he could muster. He felt the throw push from his shoulder, snapping out of his hand like tension out of a rubber band. The inkpot slammed against the ground half-way through his classroom, shattering across the floor and rippling black ink.

Catharsis settled into the tightness of his lungs and forced them open. He inhaled deeply.

He felt like the epicenter of an earthquake. Things had rattled off his shelves, and it was his fault. He couldn’t have helped but knock them down.

He slid against the heavy wooden cabinets behind his desk, hardly flinching as his hand slid right against some shattered glass. Vacantly, he looked at what it used to be. A paperweight.

“ _Reparo_ ,” he mumbled at it. It formed itself back together: a placid and snowy picture of Hogsmeade. A gift from Victoire. He controlled his sudden urge to break it all over again.

His hands found their way up to his lips. He felt sick with shame. Had he really given her such a wrong impression? He’d never been anything but kind— brotherly— to Nina.

Her kiss and been sweet and short, but it was more than enough to get him fired. To get him sent to Azkaban, even. He cursed himself for even thinking about leaning into her. He’d just been so caught up in it for that blistering second. It must have been Veela magic, he decided as another hot wave of nausea rolled over him.

It had to have been Veela magic, because for that second he felt consumed by an untapped desire he had never recognized. And then he pulled away, and the illusion shattered.

She was just Nina. Young and vulnerable and confused. She didn’t know what she was doing, he decided. She hadn’t meant it. She was just sad and confused and he was _there_. It was a tale old as time; it didn’t mean anything.

He stumbled to his feet. He did his best to magically put the room back in order, and he cleaned up what he couldn’t quite fix, but the room felt different now.

Victoire could never find out. And neither could Neville. God, Neville would have his head for this if he ever found out. He clenched onto a desk as a wave of shame hit him once again.

He wanted to talk to Harry, but he knew it was impossible. What he had told Nina was right. _This can’t happen_. _This never happened_.

And if it wasn’t for a nearly invisible dent in the middle of his classroom floor, he could have believed it was true.


	7. Jackson Bane

It was cold outside during Care for Magical Creatures, but Nina didn’t mind too much. Her cloak was warm, and the sight of pure white unicorns made everything else seem a little less important.

Nina liked Care. Less than Defense, but she still liked it a great deal. Hagrid was funny and encouraging, and he did his best to bring in tangible examples of magical beasts. Hipogriffs had been fun, but unicorns blew everything else out of the water.

“I think I want to take things to the next level with Jackson,” whispered Nina to Iskra.

They stood in the middle of the pack of girls in front of the unicorns. The boys had to stand behind them — unicorns didn’t trust men much —so there was no danger of Jackson overhearing.

“I don’t know, Nina. I don’t have a good feeling about him.”

She rolled her eyes. “Please, you’re such a worry wart.”

“I’m not,” Iskra protested. “I just don’t trust him.”

Nina crossed her arms. “And why not? You were pretty enthusiastic a few weeks ago when you told me to snog his face off! It’s like you don’t _want_ me to be happy.”

Iskra whispered harshly. “That’s not true at all! There’s something off about him. You see how he is in History of Magic; he asks so many questions. I just want you to be careful.”

Nina scoffed. If that was the basis of Iskra’s entire judgement, she felt a little bit better about ignoring it. Hagrid was lecturing about the magical properties of unicorn’s blood, but Nina could hardly hear over the blood in her ears.

“ _I just want you to be careful_ ,” she repeated bitterly. “Please, you just can’t stand the idea that someone besides you could be making me happy.”

Iskra shook her head. “It’s not that! _Think_ for a minute, Nina. He’s obsessed with the Second Wizarding War. Don’t you worry he’s only with you because you’re a Weasley?”

Nina’s jaw fell. “I can’t believe you’d say that!” She said it a little louder than she had intended, and a few students looked over at them.

“It’s not that crazy of an idea.” Iskra whispered. “You’re the child war heroes. He’s a fanboy. Stranger things have happened.”

Nina huffed. “It was your idea for me to date him in the first place!”

“Yes, and that was to get over You-Know-Who,” she hissed. “And, clearly, it didn’t work that well.”

Nina blinked, inhaling through her teeth. “That was a low blow.”

Teddy’s rejection stung like a fresh wound. She felt so stupid for even kissing him in the first place. How she could have been so impossibly wrong? And she’d been making so much progress in trying to forget about him. Her cheeks burned just thinking about it.

Iskra’s face softened, melting around her eyes where they had been narrowed. “Nina, I didn’t mean it that way.”

“Whatever,” muttered Nina, pushing away from Iskra. She found a new spot next to Leena Smith, and she did not look over at Iskra once.

* * *

The rough silence between the two girls continued for the better part of a week. Iskra shooting Nina pleading looks in class, and Nina, sat next to Jackson, doing her best to ignore them. Nina didn’t like this feeling of isolation from her best friend, but stubbornness butted against her best judgment like animals competing for dominance. One minute, she’d be ready to let it all go, and then a wave righteousness would come out of nowhere, and Nina would be forced to stomp down that moment of vulnerability.

“Please be ready to submit your drafts of your essays to me before the start of winter break,” said Teddy, who had bore a tired, pale complexion that rivaled even the ghosts’.

Nina bit back a frown. It was none of her business if Teddy was exhausted or struggling. And even if she did want to go speak to him— which she certainly did _not_ — he hadn’t made eye contact with her since her botched career evaluation. She was hardly in the position to go making inquiries about his well being.

Jackson tapped his quill against the desk excitedly, and Nina tore her eyes away from the professor.

“You know what that means?” he asked with a grin.

“What?” Nina kept her face healthily skeptical.

“It’s time for the final test. Are you down? If not, I can find—“

“No,” said Nina firmly.

Jackson’s brows furrowed. “Wait, do you want to or not?”

Iskra walked up to the front of the room to turn something in to Teddy. Then, she headed back to her desk, but not before she sent Nina one last pleading look. Nina looked firmly at her desk, overwhelmed by a wave of hot anger from looking at the both of them.

If anything, this was all Iskra’s fault. She was the one, after all, who disapproved of Jackson. She was the one who didn’t want Nina seeing Jackson at night or after classes. Iskra would be happy if Nina died pining over Teddy, a man who would never want her, because at least that way Iskra had Nina all to herself.

Screw that. Nina would do whatever she wanted. She’d break into Minerva McGonagall’s office if she wanted to. Who was going to stop her? Certainly not _Iskra Krum_.

“Screw it,” said Nina, blood roaring in her ears. “I’m in.”

* * *

They agreed to meet at the portrait of the Fat Lady. Nina had crept out of her room at the prescribed time, through the common room like a mouse, and to the corridor beyond, only to be left blinking at absolutely nothing and nobody.

He’d told her 2:15 on the dot. She didn’t have a watch, but she’d timed it exactly from her departure from her dorm. He ought to be here by now.

The Fat Lady grumbled, “If you’re going to wake me up, at least let it be for something!”

Nina scowled. “Be quiet.”

The Fat Lady narrowed her eyes, prepared for a response, but her eyes widened in shock. “Oh goodness, you scared me!”

Nina jumped, turning, wand out, to whoever could be lurking the halls. Inwardly, she was groaning. The last thing she needed was a detention at this stage in the year. She could imagine her spending her last afternoon on campus before break cooped up in some shoddy office, writing lines with a professor who didn’t want to be there either.

“Just me,” said Jackson— at least, his _head_ — with a crooked smile.

Nina stared on in awe as Jackson extended one arm from underneath the cloak. It seemed to jolt into existence, hovering mid-air next to her.

“Did you make this yourself?” she asked, walking around him in a circle.

Up close, it wasn’t nearly as magical as far away. It wasn’t an Invisibility Cloak, but a Disillusioned Cloak. Jackson blended seamlessly into whatever he was stood in front of like a chameleon. It wasn’t perfect, but it was the best attempt at an Invisibility Cloak she’d seen from a student.

Jackson nodded. “I even made it bigger so that we could both fit under it. It won’t be the most comfortable thing in the world” Jackson’s floating hand waved for her to come under, “but it’ll do the job.”

Nina stepped under the cloak with him, and he flipped the hood back up.

“Oh my,” said the Fat Lady.

“Do you think she’ll say anything?” asked Jackson, jerking his head toward the half-asleep portrait.

“No,” said Nina with a shake of her head. “The Fat Lady doesn’t care. She never has.”

Maybe she should have been more worried about the prospects of getting caught in the halls at this hour— and with a boy, no less— but Nina was beginning to be too excited to care. Detentions be damned.

The truth was, without Iskra to talk to anymore, Nina was getting incredibly bored. Part of her knew she just needed to knuckle down and forgive Iskra, but she just… couldn’t. And as a result, Nina found that the everyday routine of class and study and sleep felt like purgatory.

And chief among her punishments was Defense Against the Dark Arts. It used to feel like a refuge, like the only place Nina had ever felt smart or useful. Where in Charms or Transfiguration, her essays would come back to her with bright red Ts scrolled on the tops of the pages, Defense brought her Es and Os. It was invigorating.

Now, when she crossed the threshold into the classroom, it felt like all of the sunlight came down in a laser through the stained glass windows. The stinging ray of heat would remain fixed on her throughout the whole lesson. She’d sweat through her shirt and squirm like an ant underneath a magnifying glass. She was sure that everyone could tell that something was different, that something was _wrong_. She burned and writhed in the uncomfortable, shameful heat for the whole lesson until she could escape, saved only by fresh air and the exclusion of Teddy Lupin from her eyesight and her memory.

Her only reprieve from the suffocating routine was Jackson. And now, as they scurried through the halls under a shoddily-made invisibility cloak, she felt so free she could cry.

It had to have been almost three in the morning when they got to the Gargoyle Corridor. Not even the prefects were on duty anymore. Not that they would have been patrolling this corridor, anyway. It would never have occurred to any of them that someone might want to break in to the Headmistress’s office. Despite her earlier worries, Nina had to admit that Jackson’s plan was brilliant.

He tugged the cloak off both of them. “You good?”

Nina nodded. “Perfect as can be.”

Fabric scraped against itself softly, then more frantically as Jackson mumbled, scrambling through his pockets. “No… You’ve got to be joking me, I can’t have seriously left my wand in the tower.”

“Don’t tell me you want to go back for it,” Nina said, exasperated. “It’s so late! We’ll just come back another day.”

“We can’t!” He hissed.

Nina blinked in the darkness, but he couldn’t see the shock on her face. “Well, why not?”

“We’re about to leave for break, remember?”

Of course. How could she have forgotten? She’d been counting down the days.

“Oh. You’re right. Well, just use my wand then. I’m useless at charms, but my wand is very forgiving.”

He hesitated. “Are you sure?”

“Of course. I trust you.” She stuck her wand out to him.

“I’m not sure this will work, but I hope so.”

She could hear the bitter notes of uncertainty in his voice. Part of her hoped it didn’t. The excitement was beginning to wear off, and sleep was starting to tug at her eyelids. Her bed back in Gryffindor Tower had never sounded so appealing.

“ _Dunamis_ ,” He whispered, followed quickly by, “ _Silencio_.”

She understood immediately why he’d added a quick Silencing Charm to the former. The Gargoyle statue usually swung open silently, making way for a staircase that lead up to the Headmistress’s office. But the second he’d cast _Dunamis_ , the stone had begun to grind against itself at an incredible decibel. It was silenced almost immediately, but the stone still sparked and smoked as it rubbed against itself

“You’d think they’d make it a bit harder than that, wouldn’t you?” Nina said with a flick of her eyebrow.

“Just be grateful they didn’t.”

Nina was. They stepped onto the staircase, and before long, they’d made their way to the foyer that separated the Headmistress’s office from her quarters.

“McGonagall’s quarters are there,” Jackson whispered, pointing behind him.

“Everyone knows that,” said Nina, whispering just as quietly.

“So, you’ll be perfectly aware then, that there’s a passageway that connects her quarters to her office. You know the staircase behind her desk?”

Nina nodded. She’d spent a fair amount of time in McGonagall’s office, explaining away incidents she’d had been wrapped up in. The staircase led to a walkway above a row of former portraits, including a rather ill-mannered portrait of former Headmaster Severus Snape.

“It leads up to a passageway—“ explained Jackson. Nina almost rolled her eyes. She already knew this. “—So, we’ll have to be quiet. On top of that, we can’t wake up the portraits.”

Nina scowled, thinking of the last time she’d been in McGonagall’s office. Snape’s portrait had called her an “ill-tempered brat who thinks fame will solve all her problems.”

“What do you want to take for a keepsake?” asked Nina quickly. “I think it’s best we have a game plan. In and out.”

Jackson faltered. “Er— well, we’ll see what we find when we’re in there.”

Nina furrowed her brow. That didn’t sound like a recipe for success. But before she could protest, Jackson had opened the room to the Headmistress’s office (“ _Aberto!_ ”) and scurried into the room.

Nina bit back a remark about holding open doors— he’d seemed to forget his ever-present chivalry in the face of stress— and closed the heavy wooden door behind her. It slid into spot quietly, and Nina exhaled in relief.

“Can you believe this place?” asked Jackson, jaw slack, when Nina turned to face him.

The makeshift Invisibility Cloak hung from his sweatshirt pocket, and half his leg seemed to disappear in against the backdrop of McGonagall’s desk.

“It’s incredible,” Nina admitted.

Portraits covered the back wall and trailed up towards the passageway that connected the offices. It was obscured slightly by a massive chandelier that hung from the impossibly high ceiling. It modeled the solar system, and every astronomical body moved in real time. Nina squinted at the moon from earth’s vantage point, forming a waxing gibbous.

The real waxing gibbous beyond the windows poured generous light into the office. The room seemed to be swimming in silvery light and long shadows.

“What should we take?” asked Nina again, suddenly very nervous. The moonlight no longer felt alluring— it was beginning to feel cold and haunting.

“Something from there?” Jackson pointed to the glass display case next to Nina.

It was dusty and dark, as if the glass itself had darkened with time. A few trinkets sat in the top shelf of the case, including a three dimensional diagram of the deathly hallows, a long phoenix feather, a dusty amulet, and a pair of half-moon glasses.

Jackson came to her side, examining the display case intently. “There,” he said, pointing to the very back. “Look at that necklace, it’s hidden in the back, collecting dust. I don’t think she’ll miss that one, will she?”

“Surely not,” said Nina.

He passed her her wand. “Would you like to do the honors?”

She grabbed her wand, and Jackson stepped back to watch. _Wingardium Leviosa_ , she thought clearly, watching the top of the display case, and all the trinkets on top of it, float evenly in the air. Carefully, Nina approached the display case. The necklace Jackson had pointed to was the same dusty amulet Nina had seen before. It was sapphire blue, with Celtic knots on the face of the amulet.

Nina reached almost reached in, but she thought the better of it. She didn’t want to leave fingerprints in the dust. Instead, she stuck out her non-dominant hand.

She screwed her eyes shut, trying to think about how she did it all those weeks ago in Teddy’s classroom. “ _Wingardium Leviosa_ ,” she whispered.

She opened one eye, nervously, to see the amulet floating in the air. She lifted it higher— it was so close to being out of the display case— and felt her hand tense painfully. She ignored the feeling, and the amulet finally lifted above the display case. She replaced the glass on the top immediately, feeling immensely relieved.

She levitated the amulet straight into her hand and—

_STOP. YOU ARE UNDER ARREST. STOP. YOU ARE UNDER ARREST. STOP YOU ARE UND—_

Nina shrieked as the blinds slammed shut on the windows, enveloping the room in complete darkness. The amulet went flying from her hands, crashing to the ground next to her.

“Jackson?” she asked, panicked. “What’s going on?”

But before he could answer, two resounding cracks echoed through the darkness— the characteristic sound of apparation.

“ _Lumos_ ,” said a gruff male voice, and his face illuminated. He scowled at Nina in the half light, approaching her quickly.

Nina scrambled back, wand out.

“What on Earth is going on in here?” asked a familiar voice.

At once, all the candles in the office flicked to light, the blinds rolled back up with a snap, and the man stopped in his tracks. Nina blinked at the sudden brightness. She paled, realizing the man in front of her wasn’t alone. He reached out a firm hand, grabbing Nina by the elbow and jerking towards the Headmistress.

Next to him, his partner looked at Nina with the same dirty scowl. _How did they even get in?_ Nina thought desperately. Apparition was impossible on Hogwarts grounds, they’d told her as much when she (unsuccessfully) applied for her apparition license.

“This one has appeared to have tripped the wards on your display case, ma’am,” said the taller of the two.

McGonagall pushed her lips together in disbelief. “Did she?”

The Headmistress descended the staircase, past Nina and over to the display case, which looked virtually untouched, except for the gap in the dust where the amulet had been.

Nina scanned the floor— it had to have fallen around here somewhere— but it appeared to be gone. Did Jackson have it?

“Yes, it appears she did,” frowned McGonagall. “Dominique Weasley, what would possess you to do such a thing?”

Nina scrambled for words, but she couldn’t seem to find any. “I didn’t—“ she began.

The shorter of the two Aurors interjected. “Yes she did, ma’am. I saw it with my own eyes! She had an amulet in her grubby hands, she did.”

McGonagall turned her reproachful eyes back onto Nina. “Well?”

Nina scanned the room. Where was Jackson? Surely he could explain— if anyone could get them out of this, it’d be him. He just needed to say it was for an essay — or that they were testing the security on the school — something, anything to get them out of this.

But she couldn’t seem to find him. She looked for the telltale signs of a Disillusionment Charm, but she couldn’t find any glaring irregularities in the depth of the room.

“I—“ said Nina helplessly.

Her eyes followed the boundaries of the room, until she finally spotted an open window on the far side of the office, leading into a small balcony.

“Have her get her things” said McGonagall tiredly. “And then get her out of my school.”

The breeze pushed a curtain into the office, bright red and billowing. It dawned on her then, far too late. Boldness was no competition for wit. And Nina had just taken the ultimate loss.

* * *

The Aurors pushed her into her dormitory, not removing their wands from her back for even a second. Her heart was in her throat, and the heavy slam of the door swinging open made her roommates jolt upright in bed.

Iskra rubbed her eyes, bleary at first, then wide open in panic as she saw Nina with a wand to the back of her head.

“What’s going on?” She demanded, pulling her covers up to her chin. “You can’t just barge into our room like this.”

Nina’s other roommates looked between each other in shock, each painted a different shade of scarlet.

“We are under official orders from the Minister for Magic—“

“Well I certainly don’t think Hermione Granger wants you barging into the rooms of underage girls while they’re not dressed!” Iskra snapped.

“I’m sorry ma’am—“

Iskra lowered her voice into a dangerous whisper. “I swear to Merlin, if you don’t get out of our dorms right now, I’ll scream so loud that every student and teacher in this school will hear me.”

The Aurors looked between themselves, and Nina felt their grasp on her arms loosen. They didn’t want a scandal of that caliber. At least, not while they could help it.

“We’ll wait right outside. You have five minutes, Weasley.” They turned and left, but not before they gave one last menacing shove to their wand’s in Nina’s back.

She exhaled nervously. She felt like she could be sick. This had all happened so fast— how was she going to explain this to her parents? To her Aunt? Though, if Hermione was already ordering the Aurors to follow her around, she must have already known…

Iskra was up like a rocket as soon as the door shut. She bolted it closed, though they all knew it was a futile effort. “What the hell was that?”

Nina, for once in her life, was at a loss for words. She’d spent so long not talking to Iskra that the words seemed frozen in her throat. Instead, she spurred into action, grabbing everything she could and shoving it into her trunk.

“Are you listening to me? What the fuck is going on?” Iskra slammed her hand down on her nightstand, and Nina jumped at the sound.

Could she explain? She didn’t know what to say. The door rattled, and she heard an exasperated sigh from one of the Aurors before the lock slid open. Iskra looked between Nina and the door frantically. Nina wasn’t sure there was anything she could say that could give Iskra the explanation she deserved.

She shoved the last few textbooks into her backpack. “You were right,” she said. The door was starting to slide open.

“Right about what?”

The door burst open, and the Aurors came back to her sides, grabbing her arms tightly. They pulled her away from her trunk and levitated it by their side.

Iskra looked at the point of crying. “Right about what?”

They dragged Nina backwards out of the dorm, and she mouthed as clearly as she could: “Jackson Bane.”


	8. Shell Cottage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back at Shell Cottage, the consequences of Nina's actions really start to set in.

They apparated her back to Shell Cottage. She didn’t even have the luxury of a train ride to spend contemplating how in God’s name she was going to explain this away to her parents. She didn’t even know what she’d done wrong— only that wards had been tripped and Aurors had wands to her neck and if she moved wrong once, she was a goner.

She could trace it all back to that stupid amulet she’d taken from McGonagall’s display case. She had no idea why it was so valuable. McGonagall clearly didn’t care that much about it if she’d shoved it in the back to collect dust.

She had thought _that’s_ why Jackson suggested it. It was so far back there that it wouldn’t be missed.

She’d been running it through her mind since the Aurors came. When they got to McGonagall’s office and flicked on the light, it was gone. And so was Jackson. She didn’t completely understand how he’d done it.

The Aurors were currently escorting her up the front walk of her house. She wanted to jerk away, maybe stomp on one of their feet and remind them that this was _her_ bloody house. She knew the way up the front path.

But they weren’t escorting her because they thought she’d get lost on accident. No, the wands pressing into her back were a keen reminder that they really didn’t want her to get lost on purpose.

The taller of the two— Nina assumed he was the leader— knocked heavily against the door.

“Would you please let go?” She asked, trying to jerk her arm out of grasp. They just clenched it tighter. “I can’t apparate, where am I going to go?”

The shorter of the two looked visibly confused, but he didn’t loosen his grip. Nina huffed. She’d hoped that, for once, it would have been an advantage to be the only seventeen year old witch in Britain without an apparition license. She was mistaken.

Through the doorway, she heard the muffled thud of feet on the staircase. The door swung open. Her father opened the door, bleary eyed.

“What the devil is going here?” He asked, looking between the three of them like it was the set up to some cruel joke.

“We are under strict orders of the Minster for Magic—“ the taller one began his rant, and Nina groaned in annoyance.

The shorter one pushed his wand farther into her throat, and Nina winced.

The taller one continued, though he seemed to have lost his confidence. “We are under strict orders from the Minister for Magic to detain anyone who trips the protective ward in Professors McGonagall’s office.”

Her father’s face changed. “What wards? Dominique, did you break into Minerva’s office?”

She bit her tongue. She wasn’t going to say anything in front of these clowns that they would use against her later. They had reminded her right before they crossed the threshold out of Hogwarts that “Anything you say will be taken in writing and used against you before the Wizengamot.” It was then that Nina finally shut her mouth.

Of course, she knew it was serious when the Aurors showed up in the Headmistress’s office. She gathered something had gone wrong when Jackson disappeared. She sensed that it was growing serious when they forcibly removed her from campus, but it wasn’t until the word Wizengamot had come out of the short one’s foul mouth that it dawned on her: this was a serious problem.

“Nina?” Her father prompted.

She shook her head almost imperceptibly. She hoped the look she sent him said: _We can’t talk about this right now_.

“Miss Weasley tripped the wards on the Anamban in Professor McGonagall’s office.” The taller one elaborated.

Anamban. She hadn’t even known what it was called until right now, and the word rolled around in her brain like a shoe in a clothes dryer. Anamban. Anamban. A cruel, syncopated beat in her skull. She’d never forget the word now, that was for sure.

Her father looked at her with an expression she’d never seen before. She couldn’t name it, nor could she quite place it, but it made her cheeks burn hot in shame. She stared down at his bare feet.

“What ees going on ‘ere?”

Nina drew breath sharply. She’d never felt more relieved or afraid to hear her mother’s voice. Gentle French, never quite able to master the hard H of the English language. It was never _how_ are you but _‘ow_ are you. Not _hello_ but _‘ello_. And right now, the look on her mother’s face was most certainly _‘orror_.

The tall one repeated his tune. “We are under strict orders from the Minster for Magic to detain anyone who trips the protective wards in Professor McGonagall’s office.”

Fleur gave them a long, considering look. “Then why ees she ‘ere? If you were to detain ‘er, I suppose she would ‘ave to be at the Ministry? Or in Azkaban, _non_?”

Nina’s jaw fell. Was her mother really going to sell her out to these absolute jokes of Aurors? Ship her off to Azkaban without a second thought?

The short one loosened his grip a little, leaning up to whisper a question only Nina and the tall one could hear. “Why are we bringing her here, then?”

“McGonagall’s orders,” whispered the tall one.

“But I thought we were under strict orders from the Minister for Magic?”

Fleur interrupted with a smile. It looked a little strained and a little terrifying to Nina, but the men seemed to loosen their grip, almost swoon at her mother.

“I ‘ave a letter ‘ere from Professor McGonagall,” she said, continuing in her airy, casual tone. “‘Ermione ees on ‘er way ‘ere as we speak. Per’aps I could offer you gentlemen a cup of tea for your trouble? You can wait and ‘ear what ‘Ermione ‘as to say then.”

They conferred in whispers behind Nina, but she heard every fumbling word as they convinced themselves it was perfectly fine to have tea with her mother. They finally let their tight grasps drop, but they prodded her along with their outstretched wands.

When she walked in the house, she kicked off her shoes. She shot the two of them a dirty look as she did it, reminding them that they were guests in this home. She pointed at a small coatrack that read _retirer ses chaussures, si’l vouz plaît!_

They looked at it blankly. Nina almost growled. “It says to take off your shoes, you animals.”

They looked apologetic as they kicked off their loafers and followed Nina into the depths of the house. Fleur had just put on the kettle, and was waiting for them in the sitting room. Bill sat there too, doing far less to maintain an air of patience than she.

Nina found a seat on the couch next to her father and allowed the two Aurors to settle into arm chairs across from them. Casual as ever, Fleur zapped the fireplace with her wand. A fire jolted to life in the frame.

“That’s not the Floo, is it?” The shorter one asked with a chuckle. “Might make for an uncomfortable entrance for Minister Granger-Weasley when she arrives.”

Fleur smiled. “ _Non_ , our Floo ees upstairs.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Nina noticed Bill playing with the corner of a letter, flicking it over his finger until it lost all rigidity. It must have been the letter from Hogwarts.

“So, are you going to tell us what she’s accused of?” He barked.

Nina found a bit of satisfaction in the way they both flinched.

“Well, there’s breaking and entering. Two counts of that one. Thievery, maybe two counts but we’re not sure yet. Possession of dark artifacts. Intent to use dark artifacts. They might get her twice on possession of dark artifacts if they take into consideration the book…“

The kettle whistled, and Fleur excused herself to go prepare the cups of tea.

Nina was lost. A book? She wanted to but in, say she had no idea about any _book_. And she had no idea why there’d be two counts of breaking and entering or two counts of thievery. She hadn’t stolen anything, especially not a book.

She hadn’t even been to the library since…

She stopped herself mid-thought. The realization swept the air straight out of her lungs. She hadn’t been to the library since that night with Jackson. The first night they spent together.

He’d been so insistent they go to the Restricted Section, and she hadn’t given it a second thought. Why would she? She’d assumed he trying to prove himself.

She wondered if he picked the exact aisle to fuck her in because the book was there. It almost made her want to laugh out loud— a delirious bubble of laughter crept up her throat, but she swallowed it down.

She thought the whole time that she was using _him_ , but in the end she was his getaway car.

“And the evidence?” Bill asked once Fleur had returned with the cups of tea.

Her mother set the saucer into her hand, and Nina was sure she’d said _merci_ , but the roaring of blood in her ears seemed to dull all of the sounds around her. She took a sip and hoped the Aurors couldn’t spot the shakiness of her hands.

“Well, the wards,” the tall one said, like it was obvious. “And if they can find the amulet or the book, it’ll be nails in the coffin, I’m afraid.”

“So, both of the pieces of evidence are _missing_ and you were ready to take her to Azkaban?”

Nina could tell that her father was doing his best to retain his composure, but the china was straining under his tight grasp.

There was a rap at the door, and her father’s grasp loosened on the china. “I’ll get it,” he said gruffly. “It’ll be the Minister.”

She could hear the windchimes clatter as the door swung open to hit them. It was a half-hearted security measure that Bill had put in place the year Teddy and Victoire had started dating. Nobody could go in our out without notifying the whole house. Muffled hellos travelled through the walls, and the clatter of footsteps followed the hallways back to the sitting room. Hermione appeared in the entryway, with Harry and Ron by her side.

The Aurors shot up to attention.

“I didn’t realize you’d be here as well, Mr. Potter,” the taller one said.

“I am Head Auror,” said Harry. “It seems like the sort of thing I should be involved in, doesn’t it?”

The taller one blushed, nodding. “Of course, sir.”

“At ease,” Harry waved away their rigidity, and they settled back into the armchairs.

It wasn’t until Nina had seen Harry in front of her that it dawned on her: there were only two Aurors here. And Aurors always travelled in threes. She had an urge to ask at once, but she bit her cheek.

Bill and Nina both moved over as Harry, Ron, and Hermione all piled on to the couch beside them.

“At the risk of sounding less than vigilant, I propose Nina stays here on house arrest until we can schedule her an appearance before the Wizengamot.” Hermione jumped right in, not bothering with formalities. She looked wide-eyed, like she hadn’t had the opportunity to be tired yet because she hadn’t gone to sleep at all.

Harry nodded. “She’s not a flight risk, especially not with her family all over the place. I don’t see any reason to rush it, especially considering both of the objects in question are still missing. We’ll need to conduct interviews, allow her to meet with her lawyer— the whole deal. Matthews, Thompson, you’re dismissed. Thank you for your work this evening.”

The two Aurors stood and offered a flimsy salute. Nina wanted to hurl.

“I weell show them out,” said Fleur.

“Hand picked by the former Head Auror for the post,” grumbled Harry, so that only they could hear. “Not my top choices, I’ll tell you that much.”

Bill whispered harshly to Hermione. “Can’t you just give her an official pardon?”

Ron shot him a warning look, and Bill retreated a little, settling into the couch. Frustration was starting to wear at him, creasing between his eyebrows.

“I wish I could,” Hermione began. She sounded like she was still puzzling it all together. Nina could practically hear the cogs in the other woman’s brain turning as she spoke, sliding every last possibility in and out of place.

“There’s a few reasons why that may prove difficult. One, Kingsley implemented a lot of very strict dark magic laws after the war. Ones we advocated for. If she’s convicted, she’ll be brought down on those laws, and I can’t exactly pardon her if she’s found guilty of breaking laws I lobbied for. But that’s purely political,” she added quickly, noting the impatience in Bill’s features. “Realistically, the evidence is stacked against her. And if she’s subject to a vote in the Wizengamot, they can override my pardon if they think the situation is dire enough… And she’s the perfect girl to make an example out of. Young, Hogwarts student from a privileged background… If a Weasley can get convicted of dark magic, nobody can get away with it. They might be out for blood.”

“But I didn’t do it!” Nina protested.

Hermione offered her an empathetic frown. “I believe you, but it might not matter. The evidence is against you so far. And if they manage to trace anything else back to you… well, I don’t really want to think about it.”

“They’ll snap my wand?” She asked. She didn’t know if she could imagine a fate worse than that. An expulsion from Hogwarts, sure. A short stint in Azkaban? They got rid of the Dementors, it would’t be too bad. But to lose her wand— her magic— for the rest of her days, her name blacklisted in wand shops from here to Timbuktu? Well, it felt more like nails in her coffin than anything else did.

She eyed her wand from across the sitting room. It was right on the table in between the sitting chairs where the two Aurors had sat. It was only a few inches of wood and a phoenix feather, but it was the difference between the world she knew, and the world beyond. The Muggle world— she was completely ignorant to it. She couldn’t live like that. And she certainly couldn’t live like a Squib. Surrounded by magic, knowing the good it can do without any of the powers to achieve it.

“We’re going to do everything we can,” Harry promised. He reached across and squeezed Nina’s hand. She gave it a squeeze back, but her heart wasn’t in it.

“I think I’m going to go head up. Unpack. Get ready for bed.” Nina wiped her eyes, feigning exhaustion.

Bill nodded, planting a kiss on her forehead. “Whatever you need, love. We’ll get through this.”

Nina stood, waving goodnight one last time before she headed up the stairs.

Faintly, she heard them talking amongst themselves.

“I think we should bring the whole family ‘ere,” Fleur said. “It weell be nice to ‘ave some time together before thees all gets too crazy.”

“The kids will be back from school tomorrow, I’ll bring them here as soon as I can,” Harry promised.

“Us too,” Hermione agreed.

“I’ll write George and Percy,” Ron added.

“Be honest, Hermione.” Bill said, “Do you think she’s going down for this?”

Nina didn’t hear anything, but her mother let out a sharp gasp. Hermione must have nodded. Nina hurried her way up the rest of the stairs. She didn’t want to hear anymore.

It had become abundantly clear to her since the Aurors walked her up her own front path that there was only one way out of this for her. It wasn’t through; its was around.

Nina had already made up her mind by the time she started to unpack her suitcase. She needed to make it look like she had plans to stay. Mentally, she was earmarking things to go back into her bag. Warm clothes. Blankets. School books. She was going to need them all if she planned to make it on the run.

She reached into her backpack, pulling the books out one by one to survey them. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Defense, Volume VII. A few short treatises on Herbology and a rather thick volume on Charms. There were more, of course: Transfiguration and Potions among them. And even more, tucked away under her bed from past years.

She tucked her hand into her backpack once more, grabbing what had to be the last book from her bag. It felt different than the others, and the soft dust jacket was enough to make her hair stand on edge.

She almost didn’t want to pull it out. If it was still in the bag, she could convince herself she’d accidentally packed one of Iskra’s Ancient Runes books. If it was still in the bag, it couldn’t be what she desperately hoped it wasn’t.

She pulled it out anyway, heart beating out of her chest. It was relatively thin, with a black dust jacket and gold embossing on the cover.

_The Dark Compendium._

One of the pages was folded over, about halfway into the book. Unable to control herself, she flipped open to the page it marked. A precise diagram of the amulet she’d held in her hands not even two hours ago stared back up at her.

Her stomach dropped, and she had to take deep calming breaths to keep the nausea from taking over. In vain, she tried to fold the corner back up, but it had left a permanent crease in the corner of the page. It stood out from the rest, which remained untarnished.

She folded the corner back down. What did it matter now? The nail in her coffin was laying in her hands, and she had a pretty good idea of how it got there.

* * *

Nina resolved to keep the book under her bed for now. It was a stupid hiding spot, and she knew it. The day she left she would put it back in her backpack. At least then, when the Aurors searched her room, they wouldn’t be able to tell her that must be guilty because she was hiding the evidence.

Despite her curiosity, she couldn’t bring herself to read the page about the Anamban. She didn’t want to know. The cursed thing had already ruined her life enough, she wasn’t going to give anyone the satisfaction of knowing what it did when they put her under veritaserum. It would be her only defense.

Cousins had started to pile into Shell Cottage. Tinsel was going up and Christmas music was playing, but Nina couldn’t bring herself to get enthusiastic about the season. Not when she was on the verge of losing her magic and her freedom. Though, in fairness, they were one and the same to her.

The Floo roared again from down the hall, and Nina resisted the urge to slam her door in frustration. It wouldn’t do her any good, though. Some cousin would just come barging in, undoubtedly one of the ones she found particularly annoying, and she would have to relent. Because they were her _family_ and they were _upset_ that she was getting _expelled_.

At least, that was how Victoire had explained it when she’d given her a slap upside the head for being ungrateful. It didn’t take much thought on Nina’s part to decide that she was the one Nina would miss the most.

Where Nina wanted to be was up on the hill behind the house, where she always disappeared to think. She would lean up against the solitary gravestone and close her eyes. _Here lies Dobby_ , read the epitaph, _a free elf_.

Nina would have liked to be like Dobby, back in his prime. Free.

There was a gentle knocking at her door, and Nina lifted her gaze to meet the intruder.

“Hey.” It was Teddy. He looked different outside of his teaching robes. She hadn’t seen him dress so casually in ages. He looked good.

She felt a ball of embarrassment form in her throat. “I don’t want to talk to you.”

Teddy frowned. “I think we should talk about what happened.”

She couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh. “Don’t you remember? Nothing happened.”

He looked a bit like he’d been slapped. “I know it was harsh.”

“You certainly know how to spare a girl’s feelings.”

He exhaled shortly, nodding. “That’s just it. You’re not just a _girl.”_ His voice dropped to a whisper, and he checked over his shoulder before he continued. “You’re my student. I’m your teacher. I could get into serious trouble.”

“What, Azkaban?” She snorted.

He threw up his hands. “Maybe!”

“At least we’d have that in common.”

His protests fell flat. He stared at his shoe for an uncomfortable minute. “For the record, none of the staff think it was you. There has to be some other explanation.”

She didn’t say anything.

“Is there?” He asked. He reeked of desperation, and Nina felt a sudden desire to slap him.

What a _stupid_ question. Of course there was another explanation. As if he could doubt it. As if he could walk here, into _her_ bedroom, and accuse her of meddling in the dark arts.

Her anger towards him was rotting in her. Putrefying into something not even she could bear anymore. It’d been compounding there for what felt like ages, growing off itself every day and forming new life.

There was a perfect explanation, but Nina was still in the process of stringing it all together in her mind. She knew the general shape, but not how all the puzzle pieces fit themselves together.

“What are you, my lawyer?” She snapped instead, slamming the cover down on the book she was reading.

He perked at the cover, unperturbed by her outburst. “Are you reading for Defense?”

She nodded. She was reading for defense, but not for his class. She didn’t think she’d ever step foot in that classroom again. Whether or not she lost her wand, she certainly wasn’t graduating from Hogwarts.

He smiled— a noble attempt at diplomacy— before adding, “Let me know if you need any help.”

He left the door slightly ajar when he left, and Nina used the veil of privacy to finally let those putrefying tears fall.

* * *

Her father had saved her, in the end. He noticed she hadn’t come down from her bedroom all day. She was still reeling from her conversation from Teddy, and she couldn’t really bring herself to go down and face him with everyone there. Especially not with Victoire there. She wasn’t in the mood to watch him look at Victoire like she was the sun.

“Let’s go to Tinworth,” Bill had suggested.

Nina had perked. She loved a good outing into the village. Bill had started up Harry’s car and they loaded up, just the two of them, and jetted down the road.

She never found it strange to be in silence with her dad. He was like Uncle Charlie in that respect. Sometimes a bit aloof, but deeply caring, with emotions that were clear as day, if you knew where to look for them.

She supposed she just understood them innately, far more than her siblings did. Louis, bless him, had such a hard time understanding Bill. Louis was so much like Fleur that Bill had often made jokes that she slept with a French milkman. Fleur found them funny, but Louis did not.

Not that he’d ever tell Bill that.

But she understood the brash humor and the long stretches of silence. There was enough to be said in the silence that it often didn’t warrant a conversation at all. The silence between them carried trust and patience. It was never charged with aggression the way Fleur’s silent rage was. Silence from Fleur could echo around the whole house, sending off waves of radiation to every extreme.

Her mother had her own strengths, of course. There were a dozen things for which Nina would prefer her mother in a heartbeat. Fleur was about the only person who knew about Nina and Teddy, for example. Not that they’d kissed, but that Nina ached for him, and he only ached for Victoire. Fleur was just in tune to these things. And she could pet Nina’s hair and whisper into her ear without ever betraying Victoire.

Both her parents managed being a parent with more grace than Nina could ever fathom. It was like they were made for it— and each other. They foiled each other in every way that mattered, matched in the ways they did not, and complemented each other always.

It was a love that was made out of passion, but also out of bones. It had a skeleton of hard work and trust, and it was fleshed out by all of the clichés of true love that anyone could want.

The older Nina got, the less attainable it seemed. And now, it felt miles away. The knowledge that she was days away from an escape cemented a distance between her and her hopes.

Bill wiggled the car parallel to the road. (It had taken him ages to learn how to do it, and even now he beamed with pride when he managed to get it just right.)

“Ready?” he asked.

Nina nodded, putting on a brave face. “Of course.”

Her father didn’t know it, but Nina was on a recon mission. There were a few things she was definitely going to need to get before she could even dream of getting away.

“I’ll meet you in the bookshop,” she said. “I need to go deposit some money. I won’t be needing it anytime soon.”

Bill shot her a bittersweet frown and nodded. He turned the opposite direction towards the bookstore, and Nina continued down to the bank.

The door chimed on her way in. It caught her off guard, and she caught herself flexing for her wand. She let her hand fall to her side, relaxed.

“How can I help you?” The accountant asked. He looked like he had recent Goblin heritage. Nina wondered vaguely if one of his parents was a Muggle.

“Yes, I was wondering if I could exchange some galleons for pound sterling?” Nina asked.

Once Teddy left, she spent her time brushing up on Muggle Studies. In Britain, she’d learned, they had a pound sterling. Some people called it a pound, and others called it a sterling. In America, a dollar. In Europe, a euro. She thought Europe’s naming convention made far more sense than Britain’s. She’d spent the better part of an hour trying to distinguish the difference between a pound and a quid, only to discover they were the same thing.

The accountant nodded. “How many Galleons?”

She wasn’t sure if she’d done the conversion right in her head, but she was sure she was going to need at least 500 pounds (Quid. Whatever.) to get her started.

The sack of Galleons in her purse weighed more than she had expected, and it had required careful concentration to keep it from jingling wildly on the journey. She pulled the sack out of her purse and set it on the counter. “100, please.”

The accountant eyed her, but didn’t say anything. She felt compelled to explain. Someone would surely go asking when she went missing.

“My mother was planning to go to London,” she lied breezily. “Sent me off to exchange the money.”

The accountant seemed to relax a little, and Nina was doing her best to not be offended. She was of age. It was her business what she did with her money.

The accountant placed a set of 10 crisp bills on the counter between them. They were bright red and flimsy, and Nina worried that rough travel might tear them. Coins were so much sturdier.

“Receipt?” He asked.

Nina shook her head with a smile. “No, thanks.”

When she turned, she shoved the bills into her bra. They scratched against her chest, a secret reminder of her plan. When she pushed open the heavy door, a bright flash disoriented her.

“Miss Weasley, is it true that you’re practicing dark magic?” A reporter asked, flashing his camera once again.

Heat boiled in her veins, and she blinked away the flashing colors in her vision. She flexed for her wand, but before she could react, the reporter was jerked back. She heard her father’s stern voice coming down on the poor man.

A flicker of anxiety traced through her. Why wasn’t he at the bookstore? Had he seen her pocket the money?

“Come on, Dad,” she said, pulling him back. “He’s not worth it.”

The poor man was cowering back from her father, and Nina couldn’t help but snicker at the scene. Slowly, and with a heavy scowl, Bill dropped his fist.

“You’ve got much more self-restraint than I do,” he grumbled.

Nina just pursed her lips, hoping the form resembled something like a smile.

“You know,” her father continued. “Ireland’s lovely this time of year.”

She shot him a curious look. “Is it?”

She was sure it was beautiful, but Ireland in December seemed rather cold. At least as cold as Hogwarts, which was balmy and freezing in a way that made your eyes tear up. But Bill just nodded.

“The Scamanders have a lovely farm in Ireland. I got to visit it this time last year. They’re so welcoming, you know?” He looked at her deliberately. “They’re always bringing in strays— whether it’s people or animals.”

“How kind of them,” Nina said, but her voice felt hoarse in her throat. He had to have seen her stash the money in her bra. He had to know what she was planning.

He continued on, cheerful. “You know, we should go sometime. They live in the most northern part of the Republic. Just outside a place called Quigley’s Point.”

Her mouth felt very dry as she went on. “And you’ve been? Often?”

He nodded. “Rolf often calls on Charlie and I to help him control whatever wee beastie he’s brought back from his travels. And Luna’s a family friend. She was at my wedding, you know.”

“Maybe in the summer we can all go,” she said. She tried to match her father’s casual tone, but it fell unfortunately flat.

Since when was he good at this? He sounded as impossibly calm as Fleur had sounded the night Nina arrived. In control of everything.

“Your mother’s never been,” he said with a frown. “But I’m sure she’d love it if she went. Charlie fell completely in love with the place.”

Nina nodded feebly. “Hey, I was going to scope out this drugstore before we went home. Do you mind?”

He shook his head, but he was staring at her with a glint in his eye that put her very on-edge. She darted into the drugstore, looking for one thing in particular.

She wasn’t sure if they’d have muggle hair dye in a town like Tinworth, but there was a small array of it tucked behind a selection of Sleakeasy’s. She let out a rattly exhale. She settled on buying a hairbrush— just a couple of Knuts— to curb her father’s curiosity and then ducked out of the drugstore.

“Ready to head back?” He asked. She nodded. “I’m sure they’ve all calmed down a bit by now,” he assured her.

They spent the car ride back in silence. She didn’t know what to make of her father’s mention of the Scamander’s and Quigley’s Point. It felt deliberate. Maybe it was too obvious.

When she got back to her room, she noticed her had coin purse had been refilled. Coins rattled against each other as she shook the bag. Incredulous, she reached into her bra. The 50 pound notes were still in there, though they were much less crisp now. Downstairs, she heard her father’s laugh echo around the living room.

Quigley’s Point had not been a mistake. Nina collapsed into the side of her bed. And now, she had a place to go. She had a mission.


	9. Just a Professor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A revelation leaves the Weasley family shocked. Harry and Neville approach Teddy with a familiar proposition.

Teddy did not sleep well that night. He spent the better part of the time thrashing around in the cot set up for him in Louis’s room, sweating through his pajamas and thinking about everything Harry, Ron and Hermione had told him yesterday. At one point, he’d resigned himself to pacing through the moonlit halls, hoping for that to tire him out, but it only made him more awake.

He couldn’t wrap his head around what they’d all spoken about. It was beginning to feel like they were cornering him— Harry and Neville in particular— and demanding his enrollment in this secret informant program. Teddy didn’t know how to feel about it.

He couldn’t lie to himself and say there wasn’t something cool about being a _Ministry informant_. It sounded like being a spy in a Muggle movie, though when Teddy really thought it through, there was not all that much to report on in his daily life. He didn’t think Harry or Hermione would be particularly interested in the contents of first year essays. Merlin knew Teddy himself was barely interested in them.

And the issue of the Imperius lesson still made his stomach flop when he thought about it. Wiggling his way into his students brains, making them plié around his classroom— it was horrific the way they moved so eagerly under his control. If that was the sort of thing the Ministry was interested in doing, he wasn’t sure how involved with them he wanted to get. He knew Harry and Hermione knew best, and yet…

At some point, the sun had begin to poke through the blinds in Louis room enough that Teddy felt justified in getting out of bed.

When he stumbled into the kitchen, he found Bill and Fleur chatting in hushed tones over the breakfast bar, looking every bit as tense as Harry, Ron, and Hermione had yesterday.

“Is this a bad time?” asked Teddy with a frown. “I was just coming for a cup of tea.”

“Of course not,” said Fleur breezily. “Come on een, Teddy.”

He stumbled awkwardly over to the kettle. He flicked the stove on underneath it.

Bill and Fleur were looking between each other in a way that even Teddy, who was not the master of facial expressions, could see clearly. Teddy _had_ interrupted something; they just didn’t want to look suspicious about it.

Shell Cottage was beginning to feel like Hogwarts. There were a million secrets growing under the surface that Teddy was unaware of. It didn’t bother him so much here. He hadn’t felt at home in Shell Cottage for a very long time.

“How’d you sleep?” asked Bill, making a noble attempt at a smile.

“Fine,” lied Teddy. “I’ve just had a lot on my mind these days.” At least the last bit was truthful.

“Preaching to the choir, _cherie_ ,” said Fleur.

Teddy flushed. “Yes—er— of course. I didn’t mean to—“

“Don’t worry about it,” said Bill. “We know what you meant.”

Teddy gave an awkward nod, but he was saved by the roar of the kettle. Bill was right; they did know what he meant. That was part of the reason Shell Cottage felt so foreign to him now. Bill and Fleur knew him like he was their own son, but Teddy hadn’t stepped foot in this place since Victoire broke up with him.

“Well,” said Teddy. He waved his tea at them as a goodbye. “Cheers.”

The kitchen door shut behind him, and Teddy had to stop himself from whispering “ _Idiot_.”

He wished the rest of the day went on better than that, but everywhere he turned there was someone he wanted to avoid. In one room were Harry, Ron, and Hermione— invariably together and invariably talking in hushed whispers— in another Bill and Fleur, and every time he turned a corner he seemed to run into Victoire, which felt unbearably like getting a Bat Bogey Hex to the heart, no matter how much time had passed.

He’d spent most of the day outside with the Potter kids. Ginny was reading the paper on the porch, keeping a half-hearted focus on her kids’ antics.

“How come you still give me homework, Teddy?” asked James with a huff. “I figured that’d be the perk of having you as a Professor.”

They were kicking a Quaffle between the four of them. Teddy kicked the ball back with a little extra force.

Teddy snorted. “Sorry, Jay. You’re going to sit the O.W.L, same as everyone.”

“Gee, if only someone in my family was a Metamorphogus,” mumbled James darkly.

Albus, who was almost as studious as Rose, shot James a disparaging frown. “You’d better not do anything stupid, James. I want a real competition next year in Quidditch.”

“Are you saying you’re not getting one this year?” James sounded a little indignant.

“I don’t know, take a look at the hourglasses when we get back and tell me yourself.”

“Just wait until I join the Quidditch team,” said Lily gleefully. “Then you’ll really have some competition, Al.”

Albus looked a little pale, but he responded bravely, “We’ll see about that.”

“I, for one, can’t wait for O.W.Ls,” continued Lily, who was only in her third year. “I’m going to drop out of Hogwarts as soon as I can. I don’t want to write another essay for as long as I live.”

James guffawed. “Drop out of Hogwarts? If Mum has anything to say about that, you’ll drop out of _life_ before you drop out of Hogwarts.”

Lily glowered. “Whatever.”

She kicked the ball dangerously close to James’s groin.

“Oi!” he protested. “Foul play!”

Teddy shook his head at their antics, but he smiled anyway. “I reckon it’s almost lunch time by now. Why don’t you lot go wash up and we can check?”

“Of course mummy dearest,” said James, blinking innocently.

“You’re lucky I left my wand inside,” sighed Teddy.

James laughed. “Race you, Al!”

“As if you stand a chance.”

“Don’t forget about _me_!” called Lily, sprinting hopelessly after them.

Teddy made it back into the cottage not long after his almost-siblings. They’d already disappeared into the kitchen; he could hear their bickering from the bathroom. He washed his hands, happy to have avoided stumbling upon Victoire lurking in an unsuspecting corner. In fact, he’d done a great job of avoiding _everyone_ today.

He made his way into the sitting room, where he stumbled upon her, her brother, and her parents. He blinked. Someone was missing. Teddy _had_ done an expert job at avoiding everyone today, but he seemed to be excelling at avoiding one person in particular.

In fact, he wasn’t sure he’d seen Nina since she came back from Tinworth yesterday.

Teddy came to a sudden halt. “Has anyone seen Dominique?”

He hadn’t seen her all day, but he hadn’t thought anything of it. That was, until he stumbled upon the Delacour-Weasleys whispering harshly among themselves. All of them _except_ for Nina. Surrounded only the blondest of the Delacour-Weasley children, he noticed her absence in the group the way one might notice the absence of a limb.

The family startled, and Louis pushed past Teddy, poking his head outside the living room to see if he could catch a glimpse of his older sister. Bill groaned, moving his hands to pinch the brow of his nose. Fleur was there immediately, a comforting hand on his shoulder, face smoldering into the distance.

Louis caught sight of his parents and frowned. “I’ll go check her room.”

Victoire bit her nails, shooting Teddy a nervous look. He met it briefly, but looked away. His own mind was racing. Did Nina leave? She couldn’t have done— the whole family was there to keep an eye on her.

Louis returned, breathless, to confirm their worst fears. “She’s gone.”

He was holding a torn piece of parchment. Fleur stalked across the room at once, snatching the worn paper from her son’s hand.

“What do you mean she’s gone?” asked Bill sharply.

Louis looked quite pale. “She’s run away.”

Teddy’s heart was beating so fast it just might beat out of his chest. He could have sworn he saw someone leave last night when he was pacing. Was what he saw last night more than just a drowsy hallucination? Had he really seen Nina leave?

Victoire looked just as nervous as Louis did. “But she can’t do that! She’ll be on trial in in a few days!”

Fleur’s features had settled on a grim sort of acceptance. “Well, she ees gone.”

“Don’t say that,” cried Victoire.

Bill and Fleur met eyes across the room, and Bill nodded almost imperceptibly.

“If anyone asks you if you’ve seen her, you haven’t,” said Bill.

He grabbed the letter from Fleur’s hands and read it over once. He seemed as close to tears as Victoire was, but he cleared his throat. Then, in a very decided fashion, he threw the letter into the fire.

Victoire gasped, and Louis darted off to the fire. “Dad!” He protested.

Bill grabbed his shoulder firmly. “Trust me, son.”

Louis was ready to protest, but Hermione walked into the room, frowning slightly. Everyone froze in their spots.

“Has anyone seen my purse? I’ve been looking all over for it,” frowned Hermione.

Fleur was concealing her guilt expertly, molding her features into those of a classically cool French girl. She grabbed Hermione’s arm loosely. “I ‘ave not, but I will ‘elp you look.” she said.

Bill had a similarly relaxed face, but Victoire and Louis looked comically opposite. Teddy didn’t know how to feel. He was shocked— he wasn’t sure if there was a big enough word to describe the painfully sharp feeling radiating out from his abdomen.

Fleur led Hermione out of the room, but not before shooting Bill an intense look over her shoulder.

The door came to an effortless close, but the sound ricocheted around the room.

“Why would you do that?” Victoire hissed. “That’s the only proof of life we have from her.”

Bill clenched his jaw. “As far as the Ministry is concerned, you never saw a letter. Your sister disappeared in the middle of the night, and we have no idea when nor where she went. We’ll give her a head start before we talk to Hermione and Harry about it.”

“Give her a head start?” Louis echoed, completely lost.

Teddy followed Bill’s though process immediately, and a wave of discomfort rolled through him. Where were his loyalties supposed to lie? To Nina, and by extension Victoire, or to Harry? He had been wrong last night, he realized with a gulp. He _did_ have things to inform upon.

“She’s smart. She’ll find where she needs to go.” Bill sighed, running his hands through his hair.

“How can we help her?” Victoire asked, bottom lip wobbling.

“If she gets in touch, we can send her food or money or supplies.” Bill said, “But unless she does, it’s best for her that we don’t do anything at all.”

Teddy watched as the frantic, nervous expression disappeared from Victoire’s face and hardened into something resolute. Strong. In the span of thirty seconds, she had transformed into her mother. She looked just as ferociously loyal now as she nodded her head firmly. Louis looked less confident, but he tried to follow in Victoire’s footsteps.

“Lunch,” called Grandma Weasley from the kitchen.

The Delacour-Weasleys shared one last blistering look between themselves— a nonverbal confirmation— before Bill and Louis shuffled out of the room, but Victoire stayed behind.

Teddy felt his heart catch in his throat. “Aren’t you going to grab lunch?”

“I’m afraid I’ve lost most of my appetite,” said Victoire. She heaved a sigh. “God, Ted. What are we going to do?”

 _We_. His heart seized in his chest. He willed the feeling to go away. There was no _we_ anymore, and he knew that.

“Dunno,” he said instead. He cringed. Not his most empathetic answer.

If Victoire minded, she didn’t say so. “I hate to ask a favor of you, Teddy, but given the circumstances…”

“Don’t be silly.”

“Really, Ted,” she said with a wide-eyed frown. “I know things have been shit between us since the break up, and I know that it’s mostly my fault… I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t want to help me at all.”

He blinked at her, dumbfounded. Not help her? As if, somehow, the two decades of friendship between them could be reduced to a failed relationship?

“Don’t be stupid,” he said hotly. “We were always friends first.”

Her voice wavered as she breathed in. “I’ve been a bad friend,” she said meekly.

“Me too,” said Teddy quietly.

She shook her head. “Oh, Ted You could never be bad at anything.”

He swallowed thickly. These days, all Teddy _was_ was bad. Bad professor. Bad godson. Bad friend.

“Look, I’m sure you’re in a weird spot as a professor in all of this,” began Victoire slowly. “But, it would mean a lot if you could keep an eye out for her. Or, at least, for her reputation. I don’t know what you can do from Hogwarts, but… she’s innocent until the trial. Whenever that may be.”

Both of them knew that it wasn’t true— not anymore, not when Nina had fled— but neither of them said anything. As Teddy nodded, he was cursing himself, but his head bobbed up and down anyway, and the brightness on Victoire’s face melted the guilt right out of his chest.

* * *

“Teddy,” called Harry from the kitchen, “come here, would you?”

Teddy practically jumped up from his game of wizard’s chess, offering Hugo Granger-Weasley a half-hearted apology as he crept into the kitchen.

“ _Imperturbus,_ ” said Hermione quietly, closing the kitchen door behind Teddy.

Teddy blinked at the panorama in front of him. He was expecting Harry, Ron, and Hermione— who were leaning against the breakfast bar nervously— but he was also met with Minerva, looking unusually informal in muggle clothing, and Neville, who still had dirt on the sleeves of his shirt from tending to the greenhouses.

“Hello,” said Teddy briefly, with a note of amusement in his voice.

Minerva did not look nearly as amused as Teddy sounded. Her thin lips were pressed into an impossibly tight grimace, and the rest of her face looked just as strained.

“Hello, Edward,” she said curtly.

Neville offered a small, dirty wave, which Teddy reciprocated.

“Glad you’re here, Teddy,” said Harry, jumping right into business.

He flicked open a small, leather-bound book, whose title, _The Dark Compendium_ , was embossed in gold on both its front and its spine.

“I wanted to pick your brain about Nina, if that’s alright.”

Teddy ripped his gaze from the book. “Of course, of course.”

He hoped his voice sounded perfectly calm, as if this room wasn’t full of the perfect storm of people to ruin his life in one fell swoop once they found out about Nina. The only people missing were Bill and Victoire, performing the essential functions of castration and one final heartbreak.

Harry slid the book across the breakfast bar. “It’s from Hermione’s personal library,” he explained.

Teddy recognized the runes from Harry’s letters immediately, embossed on the top of a small amulet by the name of Anamban.

“These are the runes from the letters,” he said thickly, pointing at the amulet.

Hermione blinked. “Surely not,” she mumbled. “We’ve poured over those runes for ages, Harry.”

Harry scrambled for a piece of paper in his jacket pocket. It was a little crumpled, but he spread it out neatly next to the picture of the amulet.

“These ones,” said Teddy, pointing to a small pair of runes at the bottom of the page. “I haven’t figured out much with the key you gave me, but I figured what you did have made more sense if you started from the bottom.”

“Teddy,” breathed Hermione excitedly. “That’s brilliant! I’ve spent so long fiddling with the key… I figured I must have made some mistake in translation. These runes are so old, I can hardly believe anyone used them on an amulet like this…”

Ron picked up the book, tilting his head to look at it sideways. “I figured it was some sort of Celtic knot, you know?

Harry gave it a considering look. “It looks decidedly Celtic, I do agree.”

“Don’t be silly,” said Hermione with a flick of her eyes. “Why would any Celt use ancient Eastern European runes?”

“Maybe he considered himself cultured,” offered Ron.

Hermione, having missed the joke in her focus, continued staring at the runes with a frown. “This only makes things worse for her..”

An uncomfortable silence settled on them, broken only by Teddy’s inquiry.

“How? I mean, none of us think she actually did it, do we?”

Hermione bit her lip. “No,” she allowed. “But even before this, it didn’t look good for her.”

“What do you mean? In this room we have a Head Auror, a Headmistress, one of the most wealthy wizards in Britain, and a bloody Minister of Magic. Surely between all of you something can be done?”

“We’ve been working non-stop since this happened to find the solution,” promised Harry. Hermione shot him a grateful look.

“But think about it,” said Ron with a frown. “She’s found alone in Minerva’s office, the amulet’s missing, a book has been stolen, and now the amulet is connected to the attacks with the runes?”

“Attacks?” asked Teddy, looking curiously between the three of them.

“Ah,” said Harry. “Well, the _Prophet_ hasn’t been writing much about it, but there have been a few robberies and vandalisms associated with these runes. Dark magic punks, and the like.”

Teddy faltered. He was beginning to see their point.

“Has she been expelled?” he asked.

Minerva let out an enduring sigh. “Yes. What else was I to do? She was caught red handed breaking curfew and sneaking into my office… Even if she’s not the only one to blame, those are certainly grounds for expulsion.”

“We haven’t snapped her wand,” interjected Hermione. “Not until after the trial. And she’s already passed her OWLs, there would be no reason for her to lose her wand for a simple expulsion…”

Teddy frowned. “Sorry, I’m just not sure why you’ve called me in here, then. I’m happy to help however I can, but I’m not sure how. She’s not a student anymore, so there’s really not much I can do.”

“Neville explained to you what the Ministry is planning to do, no?” asked Harry, looking between his godson and Neville.

“The career evaluations, right?”

Harry’s gaze lingered on Neville for a bit— they seemed to have come to an understanding Teddy was not completely in on— and Harry nodded curtly.

“Exactly,” said Harry.

“So, I think the question on all of our minds is, did you have a meeting with Dominique Weasley?” asked Minerva. “Neither Chelsea, Filius, nor Padma had gotten around to it. I owled them all as soon as term ended.”

This was the question Teddy had been dreading for ages. He felt Minerva’s hawk-like stare on him, and Harry’s wide, green eyes looked at him with such confidence. Teddy felt like he was wilting on the spot.

“I have,” he said dully.

He might as well get it over with. There was no sense lying or dragging it out— it wasn’t fair to Harry or Minerva, but it certainly wasn’t fair to Nina.

Harry’s brow tightened almost imperceptibly.

“And?” prompted Minerva, a touch impatient. “How did it go?”

“Largely ordinary,” explained Teddy carefully. “She expressed some insecurity to me about not doing well in her classes. She’s always excelled in Defense, and I told her as much. She did express a distinct feeling of not belonging, which struck me as odd.”

Hermione scribbled down a note. “Isolation from her peers _could_ prompt her to explore things like dark magic…”

“Almost every plant she touched in my class did die, but that’s not too far out of the ordinary,” said Neville generously. “She always wrote interesting essays.”

“What about during the Imperius lesson?” asked Harry.

Teddy blinked at him. So he’d been right— the Imperius lesson _was_ a Ministry installation.

“She resisted it remarkably well. So well, in fact, that her classmates demanded she do it twice. They thought I’d done it wrong the first time.”

“How did she feel about that?” asked Hermione.

Teddy scrambled to remember. “She didn’t think I’d done it right either. The second time around it took her much longer, so they must have been right.”

“But she got it twice?” Harry pushed. “Who else got it?”

Teddy nodded. “Jackson Bane was the only other student to get it, but it took him ages. But what does this mean for Nina?”

Hermione pursed her lips. “Just that she’s more powerful than we’d thought.”

They were talking like they’d already decided she was guilty. Harry, Ron, and Hermione seemed to communicate among themselves in a language nobody else could understand, and they looked like they had come to some kind of conclusion.

“And that’s all that happened in the career evaluation?” asked Minerva again. “We must be sure we’ve got all the information. The devil is, as they say, in the details.”

Teddy swallowed hard. He might as well just say it straight. “She kissed me.”

It went very quiet very suddenly. Even the scratching of Hermione’s quill had come to a dead stop.

Minerva’s eyes looked ready to burst from her skull. “ _Largely ordinary_?”

“Well, except for that, of course!” protested Teddy. “And I shut it down immediately.”

Neville stared slack-jawed at Teddy, who was starting to wish the floor would swallow him up like a venus flytrap.

“I don’t think it had anything to do with me, per se,” said Teddy weakly. “I think she was just feeling vulnerable, and I happened to be there.”

“Sure,” allowed Ron, looking at his peers for support. “It’s a precarious age, seventeen.”

“Blimey, Teddy,” said Neville at last, “you really have me beat for student crushes.”

“What?” asked Teddy, flicking his eyes nervously between his boss and his colleague.

“All this time I thought you had the usual: love letters and chocolate frogs… But that’s another beast entirely!” Neville shook his head in disbelief. “That’s got to be painfully embarrassing, the poor girl.”

Minerva gave a small, empathetic nod. Teddy couldn’t opened his mouth and closed it several times, like he couldn’t find the words to fill it.

“You mean I’m not fired?”

“Of course not,” said Minerva sternly. “It is unfortunate, of course. And I will have to inform her parents, but I will give them the utmost reassurance that you did nothing improper.”

Teddy paled. “I would never! Like I said, I don’t even think it was about me…”

“Hang on Minerva,” interjected Harry. “Don’t tell her parents just yet.”

Minerva fixed her hawk-like stare upon Harry. “And why not?”

“If Nina does have a soft spot for Teddy, we might be able to use it to our advantage,” said Harry. “If we find where she is, we can send Teddy to bring her back. She’d go with him.”

Teddy’s jaw fell. “What, like some Ministry spy?”

His mind flashed back to the crisp, unopened, white envelope Harry had left on his desk weeks ago. Harry merely shrugged.

Teddy stared slack-jawed at all five of them. They seemed to have no qualms with this— not even Minerva, who had always been so resistant to Ministry interference at Hogwarts. Before today, Teddy had no reason to assume that Minerva even knew about Neville’s duties as an informant. Now, there was no denying that she not only knew, she was likely involved as well. Neville was looking at Teddy expectantly, as was Harry, and Ron was doing his best to not look at anyone. Hermione had her lips pursed tight, but she stared past Teddy, lost in thought.

“I don’t know,” said Teddy slowly. “I’m just a professor.”

“So am I,” said Neville meaningfully.

Teddy’s throat felt very tight. Neville wasn’t just a professor— how could he ever just be a professor when the first thing on his resume was war hero? He was made of bolder stuff than Teddy was.

“I’m not saying we will need you,” said Hermione carefully. “Just that if we do, you should consider it.”

“Right,” said Teddy with a meandering nod. “Consider it.”

For five people that he had always considered unequivocally good, it was a proposition that felt very wrong indeed.


	10. The Knight Bus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nina makes her break.

Nina threw her getaway bag together as fast as she could. She couldn’t wake up Rose— that would most certainly end badly for everyone involved. Rose snored placidly in the bed, blissfully unaware of the vacant space next to her where Nina had been sleeping. All that was left was the note Nina had dutifully written the night before, tucked underneath her pillow. Lily Luna was on the floor, but she slept like a rock. There was no waking her up.

She grabbed the book from under her bed. Goosebumps erupted across her skin while she touched it. She set it carefully into her backpack, allowing a corner to be seen from the outside.

If the final nail was really going in her coffin, she wanted the hammer to fall swiftly or not at all.

She’d been thinking about what she’d need to get away from the moment she realized the Wizengamot wasn’t going to be lenient with her, no matter how much Auntie Hermione begged them.

The first thing she’d done was steal Hermione’s famous beaded bag. Not only was it practical, it felt like a protective charm. If Hermione had saved the world with this bag on her hip, Nina could surely escape the Ministry with it.

She threw in her wand, a few changes of clothes, a map, and a small fortune’s worth of granola bars. She’d have to find the rest of her more vain items while she was out. She couldn’t very well pack up her toothbrush and her favorite dress; they’d know right away that she was gone for good.

With any luck, they’d think she was just some petulant teenager who ran away, sure to return.

They’d be almost right.

She squared her shoulders, throwing her coin purse in the bag, too. Then, she crept across the room to Rose and Lily’s duffel bags. She opened their coin purses too, leaving the bags themselves behind in favor of the Galleons inside them. It wasn’t enough to live off forever, but it could get her where she needed to be going.

Before she shut the door on her cousins, she spared them one last glance. She exhaled shakily.

The hallway floor creaked. Nina froze, not daring to call out and see who was out there. She recognized a tall, lanky frame in the shadows, but couldn’t identify just who it was. The frame lingered too, and she saw his hands come up to rub his eyes before falling at his side. He retreated into a bedroom, and Nina realized with a start that it had been Teddy.

She shook her head, more to reassure herself than anything else. He couldn’t have seen anything.

She stepped out into the hall and closed the door to her bedroom lightly. She continued to the kitchen, throwing in some bottled water and a few more snacks. Then it was to the garage. She needed the tent, some camping chairs. Whatever she could find that looked like it might be useful she threw it in.

It didn’t take her very long. Shortly, she had gathered everything she’d need. It felt so final when she packed in her old raincoat that she had to sniffle back a tear. She slid on her favorite clunky boots and climbed out of the first floor window. It slid to a close behind her without any noise, and she tried to put as much distance between her and the Shell Cottage as she could before daylight.

She was thankful it hardly ever snowed in Cornwall. It made it far harder for anyone to track her— though she suspected her Dad would manage to trace her trail for a fair amount of time. As would Uncle Harry, she realized with a frown.

Still, when she made her way into the nearby half-wizard town, she kept her head down. She didn’t want to be seen, especially not when the people who lived here knew her so well.

Nina made a B-line for the drugstore. The bell chimed behind her, and the shop attendant gave her a bleary-eyed nod. Nina shot back a tight, small smile and headed straight to the muggle beauty products. They were a small shelf, especially compared to the vast array of beautifying potions for sale, but Nina was certain she wanted muggle products.

Muggle hair dye would last longer than any wizard potion or charm. It wouldn’t look as nice, but Nina wasn’t her mother— she could sacrifice her vanity easily. She grabbed the first shade of brown she could find. The woman on the box smiled, unmoving in the unsettling way all muggle pictures were.

Two boxes would surely be enough, Nina decided.

The cashier frowned at the box dye. “But your hair is so lovely! Surely you wouldn’t want to ruin it.”

Nina pressed her lips into a firm line, rolling her eyes inwardly. “It’s for a friend.”

The cashier looked pleased. “That will two galleons.”

Nina slammed two galleons on the counter and snatched her hair dye. “Thanks. Do you know where the nearest Floo is?”

He looked pensive. “It’d be at the Broken Phial, but they’re not open for three hours yet. You could always call the Knight Bus if you’re in a pinch.”

Nina frowned. “The Knight Bus?”

The cashier tutted. “I’m no wizard, but I’ve seen it come by here a few times. Just stick your wand out like you’re hailing a cab.”

“Okay. Thanks,” Nina smiled curtly, heading out of the shop.

Tinworth was a curious town. She had always thought so, but now that she was surveying it in the wee hours of the morning, with muggle cars meandering down the roads to muggle jobs, she really saw it. The muggle and the wizard blended so seamlessly here.

She’d been coming to Tinworth for as long as she could remember. It was just a quick drive (or an even quicker apparation) from home, and it had everything they needed for Shell Cottage. She knew the Broken Phial well, but she also knew that secrets weren’t well kept there. They were more like a form of currency.

Nina stepped into the street with one foot, sticking her wand into the air just like the cashier had said. She’d never seen the Knight Bus— let alone taken it— but if that sweet muggle man was recommending it, it surely couldn’t be that bad.

She heard the bus coming before she caught sight of it. It whirred down the street faster than any of the cars were, until it came to a screeching halt just in front of her.

Nina blinked, taking in the bright purple triple-decker. The bus doors swung open, and a bored girl, a little older than Nina herself, swung halfway out.

“My name is Emma Keeney and I’ll be your conductor this morning. Welcome to the Knight Bus. Where will you be headed today?” She said all of this very quickly and with almost no intonation, like the words just fell out of her mouth in a monotone blur.

“I don’t care,” Nina said. “North. Just get me to a muggle town far from here.”

Emma nodded and stuck out her hand. “Eleven sickles.”

Nina dropped a Galleon in her hand. “Keep the change.”

Emma looked content. “For that price, you get a hot chocolate and a complementary toothbrush in the color of your choice.”

She stepped to the side, and Nina climbed on board the bus. She had hardly stepped towards the back of the bus when it lurched forward, sending Nina to the floor.

“Sorry about that,” Emma said, sounding not that sorry at all. “Also, we’ve only got orange, is that alright?”

Nina climbed to her feet, grabbing a pole for support. “What?”

“For the complementary toothbrush in the color of your choice,” Emma explained. “We only have orange.”

“Yeah, that’s fine,” Nina said, disinterested. She grabbed the toothbrush and dropped into Hermione’s bag.

She was too distracted by the configuration of the bus to pay much attention to Emma. It didn’t look like anything else Nina had ever been on before. In France, Nina had been on her fair share of muggle and wizard busses, and none of them looked like this.

The floor was covered by beds that were bolted down, while the few chairs that were available lurched around with the harsh movements of the bus. The floor was covered in a brown and sticky liquid that she was rather nervous to step in.

Emma popped back up. “Hot chocolate?”

A tray of watery hot chocolate wobbled in her hands. Nina raised an eyebrow. “Um, no thanks.”

“Say, you look familiar.” Emma said, analyzing the other girl’s features.

Nina tensed, but the conductor chimed in before she could respond.

“Emma, we’ve been over this. Not every redhead you meet is a Weasley,” he said in a disapproving tone. “Does she look like any Weasley you’ve ever seen in the papers?”

Emma gave Nina a considering look. “Suppose not.” She patted Nina on the arm, chuckling, “Just as well, I wouldn’t want to be a Weasley right now.”

“Why’s that?” Nina asked shortly, jerking her shoulder back.

“I mean, we’ve all heard about that Weasley girl who got expelled. The French one,” Emma said, as if it were obvious.

“I guess I don’t keep up with the news.”

“Now, is that one Victoire?” The conductor asked.

He said Victoire like Vic-toy-ree. Nina clenched her fists behind her back.

“No,” Emma laughed. “She’s the pretty one! This is the ginger. Oi, do you know her name?”

Nina felt sick, and it had nothing to do with the sharp twists and turns on the Knight Bus. “Her name is Dominique.”

Emma nodded. “That’s the one. Anyway, she’s been a right embarrassment to the Weasley name, don’t you think? I mean, imagine you risk your life fighting in the Battle of Hogwarts and finally settle down only to have your kid do something like that.”

Her nails were so far into her palm that she could feel her own blood begin to spill around them, hot on the tips of her fingers. She excused herself and headed to the back of the bus. At least sitting on the beds, the tossing of the bus through the streets wasn’t as bad.

She tried to steady herself— both physically and emotionally. The hot chocolate on the floor smelled sickly sweet, and it did little to help the sensory overload that threatened to take over her mind.

In time, she grew used to the lurching and Emma’s incessant commentary. Passengers came and went, and before too long, the bus slammed to a halt.

The conductor smiled at Nina in the rearview. “Here you are, ma’am. You’re in Birmingham. The wizarding district is just behind that bookshop,” he pointed at the unwelcoming bookstore just outside the bus, “and beyond that the muggle world is at your fingertips.”

Nina made her way to the front door, smiling kindly at the both of them despite how much she wanted to give Emma a good battering.

“I hope you’ve enjoyed your ride on the Knight Bus this morning. Please ride again,” Emma said, just as flatly as she had introduced herself.

Nina departed the bus. Her stomach was churning like crazy, and she had to take deep breaths to steady the spinning city streets around her.

She held tightly onto Hermione’s bag. The cold beads slid against her fingers and pulled her into the present. She exhaled sharply.

* * *

Nina walked as far from the wizarding district as she could, checking constantly over her shoulder for anybody she recognized. Her family would come after her first, she figured. They’d try to solve it within themselves. And there were enough of them that the Weasleys could cast themselves across Britain to search for her without much effort.

She made it to a tavern. A little dinky and run-down, but perfectly nondescript. She pushed open the door.

The pub underneath was scarcely occupied— normal, considering it was hardly dinnertime. She came up to the bar.

“Hi, I was wondering if I could get a room for the night?”

The man at the bar put the down the glass he was cleaning, giving her a long, considering look. “You 18?”

“Yeah,” she lied confidently.

The barman looked unconvinced, but he pulled from underneath the bar a long black book. He flipped it open, and Nina saw the lines of names and dates from the previous tenants.

“Name?”

“Nina W— Weston.”

“Alright,” he wrote the name down. “Can I see some ID?”

Nina paled. “ID?”

“Yeah, like your drivers license or something.”

“Erm… Yeah, sure.” Nina reached into her pocket and pulled out the only thing that was in there: her wand. So he couldn’t see, she pointed it at him. _Confundus,_ she thought clearly.

A pleasantly confused look covered his face, and Nina reached across the counter for the book. She scribbled in the day’s date and her payment for one week’s stay.

He snapped back into reality. “Sorry, I dazed off a little for a while there… Where were we?”

“You were going to give me my key.”

He looked at the book. “Oh! Appears I was… let me go find it. You’ll be in room six.” He set an old-fashioned silver key on the counter.

“Perfect,” exhaled Nina, grabbing the key.

* * *

Nina stared back at the unblinking woman on the box of hair dye. Her smile was permanently fixed, and she ran her fingers through her perfectly brown hair like it was made of silk. Nina scowled, tearing open the box.

In the mirror, she regarded her appearance as she knew it for the last time. Pale. Freckled. Standard Weasley appearance, complete with the painfully bright red hair.

She’d always wished she was blonde like her mother. She wished she had that silky Veela hair that her siblings inherited, instead of the mop of curls she got from her father. She never understood why she had to look so much like him.

It wasn’t that she didn’t love her father— or that she didn’t love being a Weasley. But she was just one member of a ginger army, anonymous in the ranks of red. Victoire and Louis had hair like moonlight. They had the good Veela genes. Conversely, Nina looked like she was a product of asexual reproduction. Just a sliver of Bill that had formed its own life.

She touched the knotted ends of her fiery hair. She pulled them into a loose ponytail, falling just above the nape of her neck. She grabbed the scissors.

She could hear every strand as she cut through it, allowing the hair she’d spent so long growing to fall to the ground. She mixed the hair dye. She followed the directions on the box with far more care than she’d ever shown her Potions classes—she even did the stupid test strip of hair, no matter how tedious the idea sounded.

When the twenty minutes had passed on the test strip, she rinsed the hair out in the sink. The water ran brown, just as pungent as the dye itself had been. Sure enough, her hair was a deep brown.

Maybe part of her thought it wouldn’t work. She didn’t know how these muggle products worked— the woman on the box was intimidating enough, and the instructions were even more so. But it had worked. She couldn’t help but be fascinated by the way the dark hair looked so sharp against her white skin. She looked like a character in a fairy tale her mother used to read her. _La Blanche-Neige._

Nina seized the bottle in her hand and began her dutiful work, coating every strand of hair, save the ones she’d already dyed, in the pungent solution. It was completely silent in her hotel room, except for the hum of the electricity in the lights.

Eventually, she showered like the instructions told her to do. She only hoped she’d saturated every part of her head, and when the water ran dark like mud, she couldn’t doubt that she had.

She spent longer than she needed to in the shower, warm in the steam and water. The water had long run clear by the time she stepped out. In the foggy mirror, she saw a shivering brunette staring back at her.

She traced her hands through her new hair. It still sprung into waves, but it stopped so much shorter than she was used to. She wiped away the steam in the mirror, fascinated by her new appearance.

She wasn’t entirely unrecognizable, but if she had learned anything from Emma on the Knight Bus, it was that she wasn’t all that memorable to begin with.


	11. Cannock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nina's on the run, and it's not as easy as she'd imagined.

Her time in Birmingham had served her well. A week under the radar allowed her to adequately prepare for the journey.

She was headed north. There was a large forest on the map— it seemed like the ideal place to find refuge from the Aurors who were surely hunting her down. She’d studied up on wards and potions and plants. Neville would have been thrilled, she was never better prepared to pass her exams than she was right then. Iskra would have been even more excited, of course. But she tried her best not to think about any of them at all.

She approached the man behind the glass, holding her crisp 50 pound note tight in her hand. “Hello.”

“Where you headed?” asked the man. He didn’t look up from his computer.

Nina breathed a quiet sigh of relief. “Cannock.”

“Are you booking a return trip today, ma’am?” he continued monotonously.

“No.” The word felt heavy in her mouth.

“6 pounds.”

She dropped the 50 pound note into the small metal dish underneath a hole in the glass. The man rolled his eyes.

“Don’t you have anything smaller?”

She froze. “But these notes only come in one size, don’t they?”

“You think you’re a real comedian, don’t you?” He shoved the note in to the register, finally looking at her to shoot her a glare. He handed her the change. “Have a nice trip.”

“Thanks,” she said, shoving the change into her pocket.

A ticket came through the hole in the glass next, and Nina grabbed it readily. _Platform 3_ , it read. She was ready to charge towards a staircase when movement caught her attention.

She pivoted at once, flexing for her wand. Nobody was there, just a few muggles in a queue for a vending machine. She took a hesitant step closer.

She saw the movement again in the corner of her eye. It was coming from the bin. She approached it at once, noticing the classic movement of a magical photograph.

DOMINIQUE WEASLEY FAILS TO APPEAR BEFORE WIZENGAMOT, FOUND GUILTY

Her breath caught in her throat. She’d only been gone for a week, but the Wizengamot had been swift in their decision.

Immediately, she scanned the crowd. Muggles rushed through the station. Nobody was lingering. She didn’t recognize any faces from earlier in the week. She could spot no pointed hats or strangely dressed muggles, the tell tale signs of a wizard in disguise. So it was beyond her understanding how a magical newspaper, moving pictures and all, could have made its way into a bin in the center of a muggle train station.

She grabbed the paper from the garbage, shoving it deep into the pouch of her hoodie.

 _Guilty_. The word echoed in her mind as she scurried up the stairs towards platform 3.

She couldn’t help but imagine what the trial must have been like. Did Aunt Hermione sit there helplessly as justice was served? Or had she been complicit?

She imagined all her aunts and uncles piled up in the bleachers around the courtroom floor. Her cousins wouldn’t have come. Not even Louis would have come. Fleur would never have allowed it.

She imagined the prosecution presenting the worn leather-bound copy of _The Dark Compendium_.

“This was found in the accused’s bedroom after her escape,” they must have said. She bet all the witches and wizards on the Wizengamot gasped appropriately, scandalized at the very notion of a seventeen year old girl implicating herself in the world of dark magic.

What had the defense done? They must have stewed in angry silence. Nina couldn’t fathom the energy in that courtroom. Professor Trelawney would go absolutely off the rails at the sight of all _those_ auras.

Nina controlled her face as she caught her lip wobbling at the thought of her mother. And her father— Merlin, she had no clue what to think about her father. Fleur had to have been disappointed in Nina, but her father? Nina was not sure anymore. The man she thought she knew best in the family had thrown her for a loop that day in Tinworth. It was like he _wanted_ her to escape.

The train pulled up to the station, bringing with it a gust of air. It pushed through Nina’s new hair, cropped and dark, tickling the tops of her shoulders. She climbed on board, not even wincing when the train pulled away from the station.

* * *

When she finally made her way to the nature preserve north of Cannock, the sun had begun to set.

She hiked for what felt like hours, delving deep into the woods, guided only by whispers to her wand saying “ _Point me_.” Her wand led her further north, to a small clearing in the wood. She could hear the babbling of nearby water from her campsite, and it offered a calming white noise.

Her tent was poorly erected. Some of the wire was poking out in places that it shouldn’t have done, but Nina had reinforced the thing with enough magic that not even a hurricane could have knocked it over.

She’d tried to construct some protective wards around her little campsite, but even she could see that they were patchy; the background waved in and out of focus on the outside of her ward.

But it would have to do. She was not the Best Witch of her Age— nor was she even Decidedly Okay. She was Just Average, and she was going to have to hope it was enough to keep the Ministry off her tail.

She could excuse the dilapidated tent and the shoddy wards for today, because she’d had victory enough in knowing where she was going. Quigley’s Point. She spent her week in Birmingham planning and running through her conversations with her father.

Her plan was more detailed than any essay she’d ever written. Her use of research and deductive reasoning would have brought tears of joy to Teddy’s eyes.

She snorted at the idea of it, but the smile slipped off her face as she thought of him. She felt a hot wave of residual embarrassment, thinking about that day in his classroom. She hand came to her lips as she relived the moment. She banished the thoughts with a shake of her head. There was no point worrying about any of that now. She started into her tent when the ground began to vibrate.

 _DUN._ The ground shook a little, and leaves vibrated off the trees.

 _DUN._ Nina backed away from the tent, wand out.

 _DUN_. Something appeared through the clearing, ten feet tall and covered in dark swaths of hair.

“Shit,” whispered Nina.

Were her wards enough?

 _DUN._ A large, hairy hand swung its way through the patchy wards around Nina’s campsite.

“Shit shit shit,” she continued. “ _Reducio!_ ” Her tent collapsed into something miniature, which she shoved back into her purse.

The smoldering remains of a campfire separated Nina from the beast, casting a faint orange glow across the damp forest.

Nina scurried backwards towards a large evergreen. The beast groaned, kicking the fire and sending sparks flying in a large arc across the clearing.

She’d never seen anything like it before; it had all the trappings of the average mountain troll, but with large tusks erupting from its lower jaw, and fangs that came down from its upper jaw. The black hair disappeared around its face, making way for leathery, ashy-green skin.

She needed to disappear. What was the incantation for a Disillusionment Charm? She smacked her forehead. _Think. Think_. She revoked her earlier thoughts; Teddy would not be brought to tears of joy over this.

The beast turned its head, sniffing deeply. He had beady eyes fixed right on Nina’s tree. She stumbled backwards.

“AGH,” groaned the beast. With force, he ripped the evergreen straight out of the ground and chucked it right where Nina’s campsite had been.

He pointed a long finger at Nina, who had collapsed to the ground.

“ _Oppugno_ ,” screamed Nina, sending the broken branches of the tree flying toward the beast’s face at top speed.

A few pelted him right on the nose, but he smacked the rest away before Nina could get any good hits. He lurched towards her.

Nina scrambled to her feet. “ _Stupefy_!” It did almost nothing. “ _Stupefy! Stupefy!”_

It was nothing more than a minor inconvenience. He roared in annoyance, lurching toward Nina at even higher speeds. Nonverbally, she hit him with a Trip Jinx. This one did land, and Nina sprinted ahead to not get crushed as all ten feet of the beast came crashing to the ground.

“ _Confringo_!” She blasted the ground in front of him, sending trees collapsing in his path. “Oh Merlin,” she mumbled to herself. “ _Point me!_ ”

The ground vibrated as the beast clambered to his feet and continued his charge. Nina was sprinting like she’d never ran before; her heart threatened to leap straight out of her throat, but she pressed on, motivated by every ground-shaking thunk of the beast’s feet landing on the earth.

He roared again, and Nina could feel the heat of his breath on her back. She didn’t dare turn back; he was surely right on her now. She pushed through a thicket of trees, but tripped. Her foot had caught on a loose root and she tumbled forward, landing with a thunk in a slow-moving river.

Icy cold water seeped into her jeans, and they clung tight to her trembling frame. The beast emerged from the thicket ready to pounce, but stopped as it saw Nina sitting in the icy water.

He let out a groan of frustration. He approached the riverbed and extended a hand forward towards her. Nina panted as she watched him avoid even the slightest contact with the water.

Curious, she sent a wave crashing towards his hand. He screamed, stumbling back towards the thicket and clutching his hand. It began to bubble and blister like it had been burned.

“ARGHH,” he cried. He shot her a spiteful look, and receded back into the tree line.

She watched him leave, mystified. Hydrophobic monsters weren’t uncommon, but Nina hadn’t heard of a single troll with that problem. The beast receded further and further into the forest; Nina watched as his head bobbed among the treetops.

Tentatively, she stepped out of the water. The beast made no moves to return.

She sent a gust of hot air from her wand to her jeans. The water began to evaporate slowly. “ _Impervius_ ,” she said to her boots. The water leapt from the leather.

She clutched her beaded purse closer to her hip and squared her shoulders, beginning what would become the first of many long, night walks.


	12. Standard, Normal, Boring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teddy gets some shocking news. Iskra struggles with Nina's absence.

“Would you pass the salt?” asked Filius.

Teddy blinked. “What?”

“The salt, if you please.”

“Oh! Sorry, lost in thought…” He shoved the shaker over to Filius, who had a discarded newspaper in his lap. “Anything good in the news?”

Filius grimaced. “Is there ever?”

Less and less these days, it seemed to Teddy. Winter break had ended with little word of Nina. Every day had felt longer since she left, and longer still since they’d returned to school. January pulled and stretched impossibly. Teddy was sure he’d aged two years in the three weeks Nina had been missing.

He pointed at the paper. “May I?”

He opened the oversized pages of _The Daily Prophet_ to find a large picture of Nina— no surprises there— and accounts of sightings across the country. Wizards everywhere from Portugal to Port-au-Prince were certain they’d spotted Nina on the run. He wasn’t sure he believed any of it.

He flipped the page, crinkling his nose as he realized he’d arrived at the Human Interest section of the paper. The subject of these articles were invariably Weasleys, doing uninteresting things that the general public seemed intrigued by, for reason’s beyond Teddy’s comprehension. There was a picture of Victoire and— Teddy grimaced— Aleksander Krum leaving a store in Diagon Alley.

The headline read in all capitals: VICTOIRE MARRIED! SECRET WEDDING TO QUIDDITCH STAR ALEKSANDER KRUM.

His first instinct was to roll his eyes, but he squinted at the picture of the two of them and noticed a ring glinting in the sunlight on her left hand.

His mouth went dry. _Married_? Victoire and Aleksander only been dating for two years. Victoire was barely twenty one. How could they get married?

Teddy and Victoire had dated for nearly five years, and she had never seemed especially keen about marriage. It had always been Teddy who would bring it up, mostly joking, and ask her what she wanted their wedding to be like. She’d always said she wanted a big, lavish ceremony in the summer, in a nice barn tucked away in the countryside.

He blinked down at the photo. Her _real_ wedding had been the complete opposite. Elopement. Dead of winter. Married to a Quidditch star, not a professor.

Aleksander’s shoulders seemed to dominate half the picture, and Teddy’s own shoulders slumped in defeat.

He read the article underneath it a few times, but the words didn’t seem to be going into his brain.

 _“We wanted something subtle,” said Krum (née Weasley) in an exclusive interview with_ The Daily Prophet _. “I don’t want to draw the attention away from my sister. She is the one who deserves our support right now, not me.”_

_Mrs. Krum maintains her sister’s innocence, despite the Wizengamot’s recent conviction…_

He almost laughed. Victoire _Krum_. She’d always told him that she would never take her husband’s last name; that she had too much pride in being a Weasley. Now, she was Victoire Krum, and Teddy was starting to wonder if he’d ever known her at all.

There was a clatter of silverware from the center of the room. Teddy looked up, grateful of the distraction.

Iskra Krum sat with her head in her hands, covered in the food that had come sliding off her plate. _The Daily Prophet_ lay open on the table in front of her.

Teddy furrowed his brow. Was the marriage news to Iskra, too? He allowed himself the moment of self-pity, imagining both of them blindsided by people they’d thought they knew well. But upon further inspection, the page of the _Prophet_ that lay open at her table was covered almost entirely by Nina’s blinking, surprised face. She stood quickly, wiping as much food off her as she could.

“Poor girl,” tutted Filius sadly.

Filius spared a glance at the newspaper now sitting between the two of them. The same blinking picture of Nina covered the front of his paper, along with the words UNDESIRABLE NO. 1. But Teddy wasn’t focused on the paper, Teddy was watching as Iskra rushed out of the Great Hall, looking up only to stare down an unsuspecting Jackson Bane with her wide, tired eyes.

“How’s she been in your classes, Filius?” asked Teddy suddenly.

“Tired. I think she’s fallen asleep every day this week. I know I should deduct points, but…” Filius trailed off, looking back down at the paper again.

“I wouldn’t either,” assured Teddy.

The bell tolled, indicating an end to the lunch period. Students began to pour out of the hall, and Teddy heaved his way to his feet.

“Just a moment, Professor Lupin,” said Minerva curtly.

Teddy sunk back into his chair. “Yes?”

None of the professors had moved either. They waited in silence until the last student left the Great Hall, and then Minerva waved her wand sharply, slamming the door behind.

“I’m afraid there’s some bad news,” said Minerva.

Teddy found Neville across the table, shooting him a confused look. Neville shook his head.

“House elves have been going missing.”

“What?” asked Filius, brows tensed. “How?”

Minerva did not offer a response, instead saying: “We will be increasing patrols, and teachers will be expected to assist in them.”

“Again?” asked Chelsea. “We already doubled them after the Weasley girl—“

“Then they will be tripled. Is that a problem, Professor Bigby?” McGonagall’s voice was dangerously cool.

Chelsea flushed darkly. “No, of course not.”

“Good,” she snapped. “Now go, all of you. You have classes to teach.”

Teddy did not have a class to teach, but he scrambled out of his chair just as eagerly as his coworkers. He had a meeting with a student; a career evaluation after lunch.

His office classroom was empty when he arrived back to it. He flipped open his diary to confirm the student he was meeting with.

 _Iskra Krum, one o’clock,_ read the entry in his diary.

He almost groaned. He’d known it was true, but he was dreading it now more than ever before. Before today, it would have only been an awkward interaction with Nina’s friend. Now, it was different. Now, Iskra was a physical reminder of Victoire’s secret wedding. He had the youngest Krum walking into his office any minute now, and he could feel his shoulders tense at the thought of it.

He busied himself assembling her papers, trying to will the knots in his back to untie themselves.

Teddy spared a glance at the clock on the far end of his classroom. The second hand glided dutifully across the face of the clock, pushing past the twelve and offering a small _click_ as the minute hand continued its solemn charge. She was late. Five minutes late, in fact, and Teddy was growing impatient.

He was going to give her five more minutes. Possibly ten— she _was_ going through a rough time right now. Filius was right.

Teddy’s impatience melted away, replaced by a subtle glow of embarrassment to be so snappy, even in his mind, toward a girl who was coping with the disappearance of her best friend.

He was saved the extra ten minutes of waiting when the door pushed open and a bleary-eyed Iskra made her way up to his desk. She still had potato on the hem of her skirt.

“Hullo, professor,” she said tiredly.

“Hello, Miss Krum. Please sit—“ he pointed to the chair he’d put across his desk, “— and we’ll get started.”

She nodded, not saying a word and not looking him in the eye. She took the seat.

“Erm, Miss Krum,” said Teddy awkwardly. “Are you alright?”

He knew it was a stupid question before it even left his mouth, but he felt compelled to ask. She looked up, offering a vague nod, but broke eye contact again. This time, staring intently at the papers on Teddy’s desk.

Teddy shuffled the papers pointlessly, hoping to grasp hold of what he had been intending to ask her in the process. He’d been thrown for such a loop. The only person who seemed equally disinterested in their career evaluation was Nina. In her case, at least, Teddy could have understood the disinterest. But Iskra Krum was nothing if not a promising student, and the glum disinterest on _her_ features sparked his concern.

“Alright then,” he whispered. “Well, how are you feeling about your progress so far Miss Krum?”

“Fine,” she offered.

“Fine?” he asked. “Or good?”

“Good. My grades are good. I got the O.W.L.s I wanted.”

Good was an understatement. Iskra was one of his hardest working students, and she earned every O like she’d had to rip it from his hands. Her work had been deteriorating recently, though he could understand why.

“Your Imperius essay wasn’t up to your normal standard.”

“Sorry, sir,” she whispered. “My mind was elsewhere.”

He bit his cheek. “What are you interested in doing after school?”

“I was interested in being an Auror, but now… I don’t know.”

“You’d make a wonderful Auror,” he said encouragingly. She didn’t look up. He swallowed back a sigh. “You’re on track to do well on your N.E.W.Ts, just don’t lose track. I know this time is hard.”

“You know, do you?” she snapped.

He blinked. “Sorry, I—“

“Look, I appreciate what you’re trying to do here, but I really don’t need the free counseling, sir. Am I on track to be an Auror, or not?”

“I thought you weren’t sure what you wanted to do.”

Her wide eyes narrowed. “Let’s just say I do.”

Teddy shuffled his papers. Chelsea had offered a glowing review, Filius wrote something encouraging… She was doing fine.

“Why do you want to be an Auror?” he asked.

She clenched her jaw. “I don’t know, sir. I just always have.”

Teddy sighed. “Alright, Miss Krum. Keep your grades up and you’re on perfect track. I’ll put a good word in with my Auror contacts.”

Iskra didn’t even perk up. “Thanks. See you next class.”

Teddy still had questions to ask her, but she walked out of his classroom just as tired as she’d walked in, head down and feet dragging.

* * *

An owl arrived at his desk later that afternoon, after a particularly grueling lesson with some of his second years. They’d been studying ogres and trolls, and the students had spent a good twenty minutes laughing over Bugganes instead of reading about Scandiavian trolls, and Teddy had about lost his mind trying to corral them.

He didn’t think he was that insufferable when he was a second year. Then again, he was sure some of his coworkers would have something entirely different to say on the matter.

The owl pecked his hand impatiently. “Alright,” he said, snatching the letter.

He recognized Neville’s swirly letter before he’d even begun to read the words.

_Meet me in the greenhouses, ASAP. - N.L._

Teddy heaved a sigh. The bird whoo-ed expectantly at him, and Teddy scribbled a response on the back of the parchment Neville had sent. _On my way_.

The owl grabbed it readily and took off at once through his classroom door.

Teddy threw on his cloak and made the short trek to the greenhouses. They were empty at this hour, just before dinner. All the students were either in their dormitories or in the library. Not that the students tended to hang out in the greenhouses anyway. Neville still hadn’t managed to find an Herbology protégée in the student body.

He pushed open the door carefully, closing it promptly behind him as to not let heat escape into the cold winter air.

“Hello?” asked Teddy.

He hadn’t been to the greenhouses since fifth year. They looked about the same as they did then. Neville was waiting at the far end of the greenhouse, standing underneath a potted plant that fell delicately out of its elevated pot. Teddy would have called it serene if he wasn’t sure he saw fangs growing out of the leaves.

“Neville?”

He dropped the leaf he was holding, wincing as it drew blood. “You startled me there.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” he assured. He stepped away from the plant, which snapped its jaws after him, and came closer to the middle of the greenhouse where Teddy stood.

“What did you want to speak to me about so urgently?”

Neville put a finger to his lips. “Shh.”

Teddy looked around for any sign of people. “What are you on about? There’s nobody here.”

“Look,” Neville went on, whispering. “Today at lunch, Minerva mentioned the missing house elves…”

Teddy shook his head, but carried on in the same hushed tone. “Someone is probably freeing them for a laugh. It’s been known to happen.”

Neville pursed his lips. “I’m afraid not. There’s more to the story than that. I was just wondering how your career interviews have been going?”

Teddy blinked. Neville had told him the interviews were a way to keep an eye on students; if he was asking now, after all this, it could only mean one thing.

“Wait… Do you think a student is doing this? Taking the house elves?”

“Well, it’s certainly not the teachers. Not even Hornet is that bad.”

“Hornet? You mean Bea, the Ancient Runes professor? She’s just a sweet old lady.”

Neville made a dismissive noise. “Hornet’s a closet blood purist.”

Teddy’s jaw fell. “Seriously? She was my professor for five years. I had no clue.”

“Well, she doesn’t get paid for her shitty opinions. Minerva’s been waiting for an excuse to fire her for twenty years.”

Teddy couldn’t do more than blink. He really knew less and less about Hogwarts every day.

“You think it’s a defense student, then,” continued Teddy, still processing.

Neville nodded. “Most likely. An upper year student, too. They’d have to be well past their O.W.Ls to do this. Unless you have any Hermione Grangers in your younger classes.”

Rose Granger-Weasley came to mind immediately, and Teddy imagined her punching her hand into the air vigorously. Or maybe Scorpius Malfoy, but he wouldn’t hurt a fly… he never even participated in duels during lessons.

“Not anyone of suspect,” said Teddy. “My career evaluations have been fine so far. Iskra’s was weird, but…”

“I wouldn’t expect anything else,” said Neville. “Yesterday, in my class, she was so zoned out that she almost drowned her Mugwort.”

Teddy bit his cheek. “Yeah… Well, sorry I can’t be of more help. Is that’s all?”

“No, actually,” said Neville. “Harry wrote. He had an update on the runes.”

Neville thrust the letter into Teddy’s hands. Teddy opened it carefully, like magic might spill out of the ink and onto his hands.

There was a long winded explanation about the runes’ connection with magical intensity, clearly not written by Harry himself. Half way through the hand would switch to Harry’s scratchy letter, but then it would prompt return to the rapid curl of Hermione’s handwriting. 

Teddy almost sighed. “Can I be honest, Neville?”

His colleague nodded, gesturing for him to go on.

“I get why Harry asks you. You’ve been… _friends_ for a long time now.” He was careful to avoid the word informant. Nobody was supposed to know. “But I’m not. I never ran a secret spy organization like the DA or went to Auror training or even did anything of import besides study my way into this job. So why me?”

It had become clear to him why they didn’t consult Professor Hornet for the task, but there were a dozen other qualified witches and wizards in the school.

“Because he trusts you. And, though he’d never tell you to your face, he wishes you were on his team.”

Harry had, in fact, told Teddy he wished he’d become an Auror. More than once. Teddy never really took it to heart. He figured it was one of those fatherly things that Harry said which had little meaning at the end of the day.

“And if I just want to be a standard, normal, boring professor?” asked Teddy.

Neville smiled. “Mate, you lost that opportunity when you became the youngest professor ever employed at Hogwarts.”

He frowned at the ground. “Maybe. I’ll keep an eye out for any strange students.”

“Good,” said Neville. “And Teddy?”

Teddy looked back up. “Yeah?”

“Consider Harry’s offer. Really.”

The envelope was still in his jacket pocket, unopened. “I will.”


	13. A Companion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally in Ireland, Nina meets someone interesting on her travels.

It had taken Nina longer than expected to make it to Ireland. She had to be careful about the speed with which she moved. She never travelled as fast as she had the day previous, and she never followed a pattern with the days she spent at a particular place. She could not afford to; the randomness of her movements was saving her from capture, she was sure of it.

The only thing that was consistent was her trajectory: northwest.

She spent her days hiding out in either complete isolation or crowded muggle venues. Her nights were spent stealing hours of sleep where she could manage it, and walking.

She’d done so much walking in the past few weeks that her feet felt tender to the touch. She was grateful she’d chosen her boots as her shoe of choice for the trip, and she exchanged them at intervals with a pair of worn-through trainers in her purse.

Still, when she could manage a nap or find a place to sit down, she was grateful to be off them. Her feet were blistered and swollen, and her ankles and hip flexors ached terribly with the constant exertion.

She’d found a whole day of quietude tucked in the back of a ferry to Belfast. She’d caught it as soon as she arrived in Liverpool. She could not stop to check out any sights; she forbade herself from even stopping for food. She’d was nearly out of muggle money, anyway. She’d had to pay the man at the ticket booth in Sickles. She told him they were sterling silver coins and worth double the ticket. He’d believed her too, the idiot.

When she got to Liverpool, she caught a bus straight to the docks, confunding the driver into a free ride, and kept her head down.

Eight hours of oscillation on the boat made her stomach churn, but not more than it rumbled for food. It had been… how long? Days, probably, since her last real meal. She was beginning to grow tired of the taste of granola bars.

When they finally docked in Belfast, the sun had begun to set. Everyone poured out of the ferry, eager to be on solid ground again, and Nina travelled in the middle of the pack.

The air smelled different here. She took a deep breath, hands on her knobby knees. She could hear birds squawking nearby. It was grounding.

On the ferry, she’d comprised a mental list of things she needed to do when she arrived. She needed to figure out how to get euros. The map in her purse showed Quigley’s Point on the other side of the border, in the Republic of Ireland. She was sure she’d had a lengthy set of Muggle Studies lessons on the difference between the two Irelands, but she couldn’t remember. All she really knew was that one used pounds and the other used euros.

 _Muggles_ , she thought with a scowl. _So confusing_. She could practically hear Teddy taking five points from Gryffindor for “disparaging muggle culture.”

She followed the crowd out the port, until they came across a sign that read in big letters _Welcome to Belfast_. She pushed out the door.

It was hard not to feel giddy. She was almost at Quigley’s Point. Just one more border to cross.

* * *

She spent two days in Belfast. She saw a few muggle tourist attractions— she knew she shouldn’t have, but the brochures on the ferry made them look so interesting!— and stocked up on more food. The first day, she did a little exploring. The glimmering exterior of the Titanic museum was entrancing, but she didn’t go in. The City Hall was gorgeous, but after a half-hour sitting on the lawn in front of it, she had felt a pair of eyes on her and decided to move along. In fact, everywhere she went she felt eyes on her. She couldn’t tell if it was paranoia or not, but she did not stay in the same place for very long just in case.

She managed to find a money exchange, and she traded almost all the pound sterling she had for euros. These bills were smaller in value than the bills she had gotten in Tinworth, but some of them were red, too. A few were green. They were all different sizes— she found the whole thing a little confusing still, to be honest.

When the lady at the counter had started talking to her about the exchange rate of pounds to euros, she blinked stupidly. Later, she consulted her Muggle Studies textbook; the ratio was roughly five euros to a Galleon. When she did the math, she figured she had enough to stretch to Quigley’s Point.

Belfast was dangerous. There had to be a wizarding district somewhere, but she didn’t know where. And she didn’t know how to find out either. She hadn’t exactly packed an A to Z of the wizarding districts of Britain.

But she _liked_ Belfast. She liked the chirping accent of the locals and how she could dodge unseen among tourists.

She spent her nights in a tavern. She confunded her way into that, too. She felt a little guilty, but only a little. She was too thrilled to be sleeping in a real bed, not a sleeping bag, under a mattress instead of the cold, hard earth. Mostly, she felt tense with the knowledge that Belfast was surely sprawling with wizards. A capital city of thoroughly magical country— it could have been just as packed as London for all she knew.

When she left that last morning, she confunded her way into a free bus ride to Derry, but no matter how far west they went, she still felt a pair of eyes boring straight into her skull.

* * *

The situation did not improve much in Derry. She made it through the city on foot, desperate to get to the outskirts so that she might find a place to put up her tent. The eyes were unrelenting, and when she turned corners, she could have sworn she caught sight of a flash of red hair behind her.

She must have been going crazy. She left behind every redhead she knew in England. She would have thought it was her father, on some wild goose chase, if it hadn’t been for the fact that she knew he was supposed to be in Egypt.

She hadn’t even made it through downtown when she caught sight of the flash of red again, and turned promptly on her heel. The figure darted into the alleyway next to her. Nina followed aggressively, wand at the ready. She grabbed the man— he was just over a meter tall, but he didn’t look like a goblin— and restrained him.

“Who are you?” demanded Nina, holding the offending creature by its ankle. Gold coins spilled from its pockets, and its sword clattered to the ground. “What do you want with me?”

“My name’s Blarney!” cried the creature. “I’m just a leprechaun!”

“You’ve been following me for days,” heaved Nina.

She let Blarney fall to the ground with a _thunk_ , but kept her wand pointed artfully at him.

“I didn’t even think leprechauns were _real_.”

“Of course we’re real. Good Christ, the gall of you wizards, acting like you’re the only creatures under the sun.”

Nina balked. “I don’t—“

“Sure ya don’t,” he said, dragging out his words.

“Wha— ugh! Why are you following me?” asked Nina, renewing her efforts. Her voice felt hoarse from disuse, but she thought it made her sound a bit more intimidating.

Blarney straightened his red coat, wiping off the shoulders to give him some semblance of dignity. He bent over to pick up the gold coins on the ground, and Nina blinked as she recognized the familiar goblin emblem on the center of the coin.

“Are those my Galleons? _Accio_.”The gold went soaring into her hand, and she shoved it back into her beaded bag with a scowl. “So you’ve been following me, stealing my money… What else are you up to?”

He scowled, and his wrinkled face only crinkled further with the effort.

“Oh, please, put the shoe _down_ —“ Blarney had conjured a solitary shoe from his pocket and was waving it around threateningly “— _Accio_! There! Now speak!”

“Do you wish it so?” He asked with a quirk of his eyebrow.

Nina opened her mouth to speak, but shut it promptly as her knowledge of leprechauns came pouring into her mind. Hagrid had said something about them once, during Care in her fifth year. Hagrid said a lot of things, though, and a fair few of them were ridiculous. Not once did she think leprechauns were _real_. She thought they were just a product of folklore, like the Crumple-Horned Snorkack. But Hagrid had said they were tricksters; they had to be— their magical nature forced them to grant three wishes upon capture. He’d said that if they had to grant wishes, they were “perfectly entitled to have a little fun with it.”

Nina put one hand on her hip and used the other to wave her wand threateningly at him. “No, you’re going to tell me before I jinx you so hard you forget everything you know!”

He seemed to consider this offer. “What am I up to? Not much at the moment, considering I’m being held _captive_ by a _teenager_ with a _stick_.”

He took this as his leave, and began stalking off in the opposite direction.

“ _Accio leprechaun_!” snapped Nina. Blarney came soaring through the air into her hand. “Not so fast,” she said threateningly, holding him by his collar. “If I’m not mistaken, your magic is particular. If I capture you, you’re indebted to me until someone else captures you, or you’ve granted me my three wishes.”

He swung widely. “I thought you didn’t think leprechauns are real!”

“Clearly they are! And you’re not going anywhere.”

She dropped him again. His typical scowl returned.

“You’re right,” he admitted. “Now you’ve caught me and indebted me, so what are your wishes?”

Nina narrowed her brows. If Hagrid was right about leprechauns, and if this Blarney was anything like Peeves— the greatest trickster Nina knew— he was sure to find a way to turn Nina’s wishes against her.

“For now, nothing,” she said finally. “But you’re still indebted to me, right?”

Blarney managed a nod. “Yes,” he growled.

“Good,” Nina nodded. “Here’s your shoe. I trust you won’t try to clobber me to death with it.”

His scowl deepened as if to say “I wouldn’t be too sure of that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am taking some liberties with leprechaun folklore!! i did do a fair amount of research for this addition to the story, but it is not 100% accurate to the folklore. i am sorry for that, but i hope it does not hinder the reading experience too much! blarney is my favorite character in the whole fic <3


	14. A Deal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At Hogwarts, Teddy has more questions than answers about Nina's disappearance after Albus, Rose, and Louis approach him with information.

“How could they have possibly found Nina guilty?” Teddy found himself asking Neville one day, after a particularly droll staff meeting. “She wasn’t even at the trial!”

Teddy, despite his best efforts, couldn’t stop thinking about the escapee Weasley. Her absence was painfully obvious in his Defense class. And in the Great Hall. And in the corridors. He had never really realized how much space she took up until she was gone.

Neville shrugged uncomfortably. “Wizarding law states witches and wizards have the right to appear at their own trial. By running away before the trial, Nina essentially rejected the offer to appear at her own trial. And without her there as a witness, there was no evidence in her favor.”

“Well, you’re on the Wizengamot. You must have voted for her innocence.”

Neville looked away. “Look, Teddy…”

Teddy shook his head. “Unbelievable.”

“All signs pointed to her,” he protested weakly. “They found the stolen book in her room after she ran away— _she ran away_ — she was alone in the office when the Aurors showed up, and she made no claims, at any point in the whole ordeal, of her innocence. What was I supposed to do?”

“You’ve known her almost her whole life. Surely you know she isn’t capable of something like that.”

Neville heaved a tired sigh. “I think she, like anybody else, is perfectly capable of being drawn to dark magic. Dark magic does not care if you are a Weasley or Lestrange; you are a vessel all the same.”

“I know full well how dark magic works,” said Teddy, a touch defensive.

“Well perhaps you ought to do a better job protecting our students from it then!”

Teddy blinked, stumbling backwards.

Neville’s face softened. “Blimey, Teddy, I’m sorry— I didn’t mean it—“

“You did,” said Teddy thickly. “That’s fine. I— I know I’m not a great professor, but I’m only just learning.”

“No, Teddy, you’re a fine professor. I didn’t mean it, really—”

Teddy shook his head. “It’s fine. Really.”

Teddy’s chest felt like a balloon seconds from bursting. He hurried out of the teacher’s lounge before Neville could say another word.

* * *

Days later, the door to his classroom slammed open, and Teddy jumped to his feet, clenching his wand in his hand just out of view.

“Teddy!” Louis Weasley appeared at the door with two classmates in tow.

Teddy relaxed, letting out a tired sigh and sliding back into his desk chair. “What is it Lou?”

Upon further inspection, Teddy realized that he knew both of these students very well. Rose Granger-Weasley and Albus Potter came in tow, doing their best to look determined. Teddy wasn’t sure why he didn’t think of it earlier— the three of them were always joined at the hip.

He put on his best Intimidating Teacher face, but it always fell flat with the Weasley and Potter kids. At least Albus still looked a touch nervous. Teddy decided to take that as a victory.

Louis exchanged quick glances with his cousins, and Teddy recognized a sinking feeling in his gut.

“Louis, are you going to tell me what’s going on here?” he asked.

He thought he might have an idea. Rose had a stack of papers in her hand, and Albus had a furiously determined look on his face.

“We know about the missing house elves,” said Louis bravely.

Teddy blinked. “I don’t know what—“

“Don’t play thick,” said Rose with a roll of her eyes.

She slammed down a stack of books on to Teddy’s desk. They hit the polished wood with a heavy thunk, and it echoed around the classroom like a heartbeat. He regarded the stack, grabbing the first on the pile.

_Ministerial Policy: 1790-1810_

The book was about the size of little Rosie’s head, and it wasn’t the only one in the pile. Nina had been missing for nearly a month now. Had they been researching this whole time? He could imagine Louis writing frantic letters to his two best friends, and Rose scouring the shelves of her home library for any antiquated law she might find.

“Erm,” Teddy said, surveying the pile of books and the determined looks on his not-quite-family’s face. “What is it, then?”

“We were researching how to save Nina,” began Louis, “when we overheard some professors talking about it.”

“Louis, think for a second. Why would any teacher discuss something like that with students around? You clearly misheard.” Teddy shook his head.

Albus shoved the corner of something silvery into his book bag.

“How did you get that?” asked Teddy, pointing at Albus’s book bag.

His cheeks tinged pink. “The backpack? I suppose Mum bought it for me in Diagon Alley.”

Teddy narrowed his eyes. “You _know_ what I’m talking about.”

“Well, how do you know about it?” demanded Albus.

Teddy sighed impatiently. “Who do you think had it before James?”

“ _You_ had the cloak?” squeaked Rose. “But— Teddy— you were Head Boy!”

“What does that have to do with anything?” said Louis impatiently. “Your mum used the cloak, and she was a _prefect_.”

Teddy stared at the three students for a long time. If Louis was in the business of recruiting a team to clear Nina’s name, he had found the ideal group. Whip-smart Rose Granger-Weasley and the dynamic Albus Potter were about the two best people for the task.

“What do you _think_ you know?” asked Teddy tiredly. “And how do you think you know it?”

Albus was the first to speak up. “Well, I remembered you saying something about the teacher’s lounge being on the second floor…”

“And _I_ thought I heard Professor Bigby mention that it wasn’t far from the North Tower,” added Rose.

“So, we — _allegedly_ ,” said Louis, with emphasis, “— hid in there for a few hours seeing if we could find anything out about Nina’s case.”

“And we found out something _much_ more interesting,” grinned Rose. “Which brings us back to this.” She pointed at the stack of books on the table by Teddy. “Obviously, the ideal way to exonerate Nina would be to find the real culprit. And I know Mum and Uncle Harry are looking, but they’re not looking in the right places!”

“Sorry, what does this have to do with house elves?”

Rose let out an impatient noise. “Honestly, Teddy, sometimes I wonder how you made it to be a professor. _Think._ If Hagrid’s seen someone wandering the woods, house elves have gone missing, and that stupid amulet still hasn’t been found, the answer is obvious: someone still has it.”

“That’s… an incredibly serious accusation, Rose.”

Albus cut in. “You taught advanced Unlocking Charms at the end of sixth year, didn’t you?” He slid a paper across the table.

Teddy grabbed it, nodding. “Yeah, I did, but how did you..?”

“I stole your lesson plan during our last Defense class,” admitted Louis. “I gave it right back!”

“Louis—“

Albus carried on before Teddy could speak. “Only someone with enough knowledge of advanced Unlocking Charms would have known how to bypass the Gargoyle.”

“Well, of course, but—“ Teddy began.

“So, that gave me the rather brilliant idea to break into the registrar’s office and steal a copy of your class roster from last year!” Rose said, a little too excitedly. “Very sorry, Teddy.”

“Rosie! You— but you’re only a fourth year, surely that magic is too difficult for you.”

Not to mention, it was an expellable offense.

“Course it is,” grumbled Albus. “She only went and borrowed my bloody broom and flew up to the window!”

Rose continued on without any acknowledgement of that and slid a copy of the class roster across the desk to him. There were only eight names on the list. “Everyone dropped Defense after O.W.L.s except for these eight students. We know one of them, Dominique, isn’t a suspect, so we crossed her off the list.”

“That leaves seven other people,” Louis said. “Uncle Harry didn’t even interview these kids, he just took Nina away.”

Albus looked at the ground, but Teddy could still see the patches of scarlet working their way up his neck. Rose put a comforting arm around his shoulder.

Louis sighed. “I don’t think she did it, Teddy. I really don’t.”

He bit the inside of his cheek, regarding the three fourth-years in front of him. He was in a truly terrible position.

On the one hand, he loved these kids like they were his family. And he loved Nina like that, too. The three kids stared up at him with wide, hopeful eyes, and Teddy found his stomach churning with guilt.

“I don’t know…” said Teddy slowly.

Louis stepped back. His face completely changed. “You think she did it?”

Teddy raised his arms helplessly. He found himself echoing Neville, from that day in the teacher’s lounge. “I don’t know what to think. She ran away, didn’t she? And Professor McGonagall was sure she only saw one student in her office that night. Your whole theory relies on there being some mysterious second person.”

Louis shook his head. “I can’t believe this.”

Even Albus looked upset. Teddy cringed inwardly. He couldn’t stand when Albus looked at him like that, not when his eyes looked so much like his father’s. It was like he could feel both of their disappointment raining down on him at once.

“They were going to break her _wand_ ,” Rose said, voice quite small. “Of course she left.”

At fourteen and fifteen years old, the three of them were perfectly capable of understanding the complexity of wizard law. Teddy knew that they understood the charges and the consequences, and all the complicated shades of gray that came along with a trial in front of the Wizengamot.

But they were young enough to be optimistic, even when the hope was futile. Nina was guilty. The Wizengamot said so, and that meant it was true. Teddy wasn’t sure how much digging on his part he could do to save her.

Nina had always been enigmatic, even more so now than she was ever before. He couldn’t help but think about the way her lips had felt against his own, burning hot and terribly wrong.

Teddy grabbed the books and parchment, shoving them into a drawer in his desk. “I’ll look it over. I want to believe you’re right, but you’re making serious accusations here. If you’re wrong, I’ll be deducting thirty house points from each of you. And you’re lucky it’s not more.”

Rose and Louis shared a look, their two Ravenclaw minds firing rapidly. But it was Albus who spoke, hand outstretched across the table.

“You have a deal.” 

* * *

Teddy felt quite unprofessional as he stared at Iskra Krum across the classroom over the top of his textbook. He hadn’t been able to shake Louis, Rose, and Albus’s theory from his mind. And, as a consequence, he’d found himself observing Iskra in all of his lessons since then. She had looked so pale since Nina’s leaving, and every sound made her jump.

It was undoubtedly wrong to spy on your students— much less accuse them of wizarding crimes of the highest caliber— but as he watched Iskra fail to conjure light into her palm, he felt a rush of anger towards her. It made more sense the more he thought about it. Iskra and Nina had an obvious falling out. Nina had started to sit next to Jackson, and she would hardly look at Iskra, much less speak to her. If anyone had motive to frame Nina, it was her ex-best friend.

Teddy checked his watch. The minute hand had finally pushed past twelve. He stood quickly, and Iskra jumped at the sound his chair made pushing against the floor.

“Class dismissed,” he said.

Students, including Iskra, jumped to their feet.

“Miss Krum, please stay back,” said Teddy curtly.

Her eyes widened like saucers. She approached his desk slowly, like he might explode and take her out with him.

“Sit,” he said, conjuring a chair to place next to his desk.

Iskra sat slowly, never taking her eyes off Teddy. Her lips were gray and dry, and even her hair had seemed to lose its color, hanging lifelessly from her scalp.

“What’s the matter, sir? I turned in my draft like you said.”

He remembered — it was a solid Acceptable, something about the uses of wandless magic in the domestic context — but he shook his head.

“No, I wanted to speak to you about something else.”

Iskra shifted on the chair, looking anywhere but Teddy’s eyes.

“What would that be, sir?”

“What do you know about Dominique Weasley?”

“Depends, sir. We’re best friends, I could tell you all sorts of things.” She focused intently on her shoes.

A fleeting panic crossed his mind as he wondered if Iskra knew what had happened in Nina’s career evaluation. He dismissed the thought forcefully.

“Are you?” asked Teddy, voice ripe with skepticism.

“Of course we are!” protested Iskra, who lifted her gaze to glare furiously at him. “What sort of question is that!”

“I’m just surprised you’d admit to being friends with someone suspected of using dark magic,” shrugged Teddy. “Especially after all your father went through in the war.”

“She’s a good witch!” protested Iskra. “Besides, even if she wanted to, she couldn’t. She doesn’t have the kind of power to do that.”

Teddy blinked, genuinely thrown for a moment. “What do you mean?”

Iskra sighed. “Look, she’s my best friend, and I don’t mean to insult her, but… she simply isn’t _powerful_ enough to do magic like that. She only managed to throw off the Imperius Curse with the sheer force of her will. That wasn’t _magic_. You see her in class, surely you know what I’m talking about.”

“I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve seen Nina levitate objects wandlessly with the utmost control and precision. The essay she submitted with Mr. Bane is among some of the best work I’ve ever seen from students—“

“Jackson Bane,” spat Iskra, like the word was venom in her mouth. “If you’re so worried, why don’t you talk to him?”

“Miss Krum, do you know something I don’t?” Teddy asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

The redness in her cheeks, which had briefly renewed with the surge of her anger, drained at once. Iskra scrambled to her feet. She cast a glance over her shoulder, as if she was worried someone might hear.

“Of course not, Professor Lupin,” she mumbled.

“Miss Krum, I’m not here to get you in trouble.”

“All due respect, sir, I’ve already given a statement to the Head Auror.”

So Louis, Rose, and Albus had been wrong about one thing. Iskra _did_ give a statement to the Aurors. But maybe that was because they were roommates… Teddy squared his shoulders, carrying on.

“I’m not here in a ministerial capacity. I’m just—“ he scrambled for the right word, “— a friend, looking out for her.”

Iskra laughed humorlessly. “A _friend_. Five minutes ago you seemed convinced she was a dark witch, so forgive me if I find that hard to believe, sir.”

He didn’t say anything. He hoped if he could conjure his best Intimidating Professor look, he’d be able to get a response from her. It didn’t appear to be working. Iskra scanned his face for a sign of something— he couldn’t tell what— and then let out a long, heavy sigh.

“Look, I’ll tell you one thing I didn’t tell Mr. Potter.” She hesitated for a moment. “I can’t be sure of what she said, but when the Aurors were removing her from our dormitory, I…”

“What is it?” Teddy prompted.

Iskra flashed another glance over her shoulder, at the slightly open door to the classroom. Teddy waved it shut impatiently.

Iskra took a wavering breath. “I could have sworn she was trying to tell me that it was Jackson behind all of it.”

“She was alone when the Aurors found her,” Teddy reminded her, as he had reminded his family not too long ago.

“Please,” scoffed Iskra. “As if wizards haven’t spent centuries trying to find ways to conceal themselves.”

If Louis, Albus, and Rose were right, another N.E.W.T student helped Nina into Minerva’s office. He hadn’t thought of Jackson before. He renewed his suspicious frown, directing it at Iskra.

“I have no proof,” continued Iskra dully. “I’m not even sure she said it. But it makes sense to me and… well, I hope you find some evidence. Because I’m not sure I’ll be able to live with myself if Nina takes the fall for this, and I wasn’t absolutely sure I did everything I could to help.”

“Makes sense to you?” Teddy asked immediately.

Neville’s warning came pouring back to him. As professors, they had a certain responsibility to screen for the next Tom Riddle. He could hardly imagine Jackson, such a charming and invested student, to aspire to such dark things. But hadn’t Tom Riddle been charming too? Teddy shivered at the thought.

“Jackson’s obsessed with the Wizarding Wars. You should hear him in History of Magic, hanging on to Binn’s every word…” Iskra shuddered. “Before the break, Binns showed some photographs of Hogsmeade in 1977. Destruction everywhere, bodies in ditches, the Dark Mark in the sky— it was horrible to look at; I feel sick just thinking about it. And what did Jackson ask? ‘ _What kind of dark curses create that kind of destruction?_ ’ _”_ She shook her head in disbelief. “How can that be what he was thinking of?”

Teddy’s mouth felt suddenly very dry. “Thank you, Miss Krum. You’ve been a great help.”


	15. Phoenix Feathers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teddy makes some connections. Nina gets herself into trouble.

Blarney was abrasive and resistant at first, but Nina warmed up to him nonetheless. He was funny, even if he was a little grumpy, and she always caught him hiding a smile at her jokes. He warmed up quickly, too, once he realized Nina had no plans to exploit his powers for world domination. He would go off on little errands for her when she asked— he found the pub they were staying at— and she never had to sacrifice a wish. Because she never wished; she asked nicely.

“There’s key issue,” said Nina with a frown, a few days after their initial encounter. “How are we going to transport you when we’re traveling through a town or a city?”

“I’ve got two perfectly fine legs.” He crossed his little arms defiantly.

“Blarney, you don’t honestly think that transporting a three-foot leprechaun through Ireland will pose an issue? You will have idiots after you in search for some pointless pot of gold.”

He glowered. “I haven’t got any gold.”

“I know that,” said Nina tiredly. She clutched Hermione’s purse a little tighter. “You’re the size of a human child, how are we…?”

She stopped mid thought, brightening as a thought fell into her head. “I’ve had an idea.”

Blarney's scowl only deepened. “That’s never a good thing.”

Nina grabbed the lamp from the nightstand, shooting a bolt of magic at it. It sprung upwards and twisted itself into a buggy. It was dark grey, and the bottom part still looked like the metal of the lamp, but it was a buggy nonetheless.

“A pushchair?” demanded Blarney, the picture of indignance. “I am a full grown leprechaun, not a human toddler!”

“You’re three feet tall,” pointed out Nina.

“I am extremely tall for my kind,” he protested.

Nina stuck her hand into her bag, pulling out a large scarf. “Look, I’ll give you a blankie and everything.”

He pursed his lips.

“You won’t have to walk anywhere,” said Nina encouragingly. “You’re really winning here.”

He eyed the buggy with ever growing skepticism, approaching it slowly.

Nina huffed. “Look, it’s either this or I throw you into my purse, and I don’t think you’ll like rattling around in a dark abyss as much as riding in a pushchair.”

With one final glare, he climbed into the stroller. Nina threw the scarf at him and pulled the visor over the buggy. He made a noise of protest.

“What? Do you want me to tuck you in as well?”

Blarney grumbled something that sounded suspiciously like “I can tuck myself in perfectly fine, thank you.”

“At any rate,” sighed Nina, “I’m going to run to the shops. We’re leaving tonight. What do you eat? I have a lot of granola bars, but I’m not sure if that’s really your thing.”

He shrugged. “Anything. Not bloody tuna, though. Hate tuna.”

She raised an eyebrow, but did not point out how canned tuna was not an ideal travel food. She wasn’t bloody well going to buy the mayonnaise to go with it.

“Right,” she said instead. “No tuna.”

* * *

“I think I’ve found her,” Teddy said, almost breathlessly.

He’d called an emergency conference with Minerva, who had her curlers in and who looked very annoyed to be awake at such hours of the evening.

“Found whom?” Minerva asked.

“Nina! I mean, erm, Dominique,” exclaimed Teddy. “She was spotted yesterday in Derry.”

“Derry? Ireland?” Minerva sounded unconvinced. “Well, how on Earth did she get there? There are no apparation records for her, and no businesses or households in all of Great Britain have reported anyone by her description using their Floo. Harry has been looking for weeks. So has Hermione.”

“I know. That’s why I wasn’t sure at first— I mean, the girl has no understanding of muggle culture and hardly any money, so I thought there was no way… But I mean clearly she has done, so she must have figured it out _somehow_ —“

“Do spit it out, Mr. Lupin,” said Minerva. “I should like to find out before I die!”

Teddy nodded, suppressing his blush as best he could. “Well, there’s a record of a ferry ticket for a Nina Weston. And multiple train tickets and tavern rooms under that same name. And someone called the Ministry from Belfast saying they could have sworn they saw her, and someone said the same thing a few days later from Derry.”

“Nina Weston…” Minerva shook her head. “How can we be sure it’s her?”

Teddy bit the inside of his cheek. “Well, the ferry ticket says that the woman paid in silver coins.”

Minerva’s eyes went wide.

Teddy continued, “ So that either means that Nina Weston is a very eccentric muggle, or—“

“It’s Dominique,” sighed Minerva, falling softly into her nearby chair. “Goodness. I suppose I should call Bill and Fleur—“

“No!” Teddy protested. Minerva raised her eyebrows. He lowered his voice, feeling warm all over again from the outburst. “I need you to trust me on this one. I’ll get her myself.”

She narrowed her eyes. “What are you up to, Mr. Lupin?”

He exhaled. “Look, I just need you to trust me.”

After his meeting with Iskra, he’d spent weeks spending every spare minute scanning all the records he could find looking for Nina. Neville’s warning, Louis, Albus, and Rose’s research, Iskra’s story— it all seemed to point him in the direction of Jackson Bane.

Nina didn’t do it. And now, all he needed was to go gather the proof that Jackson was involved. She’d be free; he would keep his promise to Victoire, and Harry would be happy. It was the miracle solution.

Minerva’s lips stayed pressed into a severe line. Her eyes lit, and Teddy could only hope she was drawing the connection he’d hoped she’d draw. Teddy wasn’t an informant— the envelope remained untouched— but Minerva wouldn’t know that.

“Fine,” she said. “I will give you a week to pursue this nonsense. I will cover your classes. But just a week. And we will never speak of it again.”

Teddy nodded eagerly, unable to help the grin spreading across his face. “Brilliant! Thank you Minerva.” He planted a fat kiss on her cheek. She made a noise something between protest and amusement, but he turned before he had the chance to feel embarrassed about it. “You won’t regret it!” He called, before darting off to his quarters.

* * *

Nina delved into the city, hood up, in search of a small grocery store. In the end, she found the closest convenience store and hurried in.

There was a man in the store, and he eyed her greedily as she walked around grabbing her groceries. She did her best to chalk it up to the Veela in her, even though it had hardly ever been a problem for her before. She found thinking about the alternative— the idea that she’d been recognized— far more terrifying.

She didn’t have a whole lot of money left, so she looked for quantity over quality. She grabbed large bags of crisps, more granola bars (even _she_ wanted to groan at the sight of them) and packs of trail mix. They weren’t the most nutritionally sound meals, but they were a start. Before heading to the till, she added some bananas to her purchase. She could do with a fruit or vegetable.

She checked out quickly. The cashier gave her a paper bag, but as soon as she was out of sight, she shoved the whole paper bag into her purse. It disappeared and landed gently against something soft. She hoped the bananas didn’t bruise.

She started towards the pub. The door to the store shut again, and Nina heard a set of footsteps behind her. Her heart leapt into her throat. She pulled the hood farther over her head and hurried on.

She wanted to use her wand, but they were in broad daylight— muggles walked by unaware. How could nobody notice? Nina spared a glance over her shoulder. He was big and tall, rough-looking with dirt smudged across their faces. He looked shockingly like she did after a long day’s travel.

She tried to walk even faster, but the soreness in her hip flexors sent pain coursing across her pelvis. She grit her teeth as she charged on.

She could hear his footsteps getting closer, and her hand ached with the want for a wand. She clenched her hand shut into a fist. She tried to walk even faster, but when she looked up from the ground, she saw another man standing in front of her, arms crossed.

“Leave me alone, please,” she tried, moving to cross the street.

“Oh, no you don’t,” said the one in front of her. She caught a wand poking out from the bottom of his sleeve, clutched tightly in his palm.

 _Snatchers_ , she realized. She’d heard countless stories from the war days about them. She looked over her shoulder. The man behind her had a wand out, too, this time extended right at her throat.

“I don’t have any money,” Nina protested.

The Snatchers gained more ground, and Nina found herself stepping backwards into the alley behind her. She tried to assess the situation. Her attackers had found the best place to corner her.

Her back hit the wall of the alley. It was shaded completely, but Nina could see the glimmer of white in their eyes. The first Snatcher pushed his wand into her throat, and she winced.

There was no way she could get out of here, not with their wands to her throat. She did her best to flail against them, but they just pressed their wands harder against her jugular.

“No money? That’s bullshit, lassie,” one of them snarled. “Look at those shoes.”

She groaned. She never thought her favorite boots would be the thing to betray her. She flailed some more, but her attacker braced his forearm against her throat, pushing harder the more she resisted.

Nina gasped. “I spent all of it!” She choked out.

She was reaching for her wand, but it was too deep in the purse to grab it. She cursed herself. She should have known better than to put her wand in there. Her parents had told her a thousand times that constant vigilance would save her life.

“What about jewelry?”

God, what had Teddy said about wandless magic? It felt like so long ago now that she was in Hogwarts. She felt like she hardly knew anything anymore.

“Don’t make me repeat myself!”

She winced, lying quickly. “I have some rings in my bag, just let me grab them.”

The attacker dropped his arm from her throat, and did so much as to step away from her entirely. She gasped and choked a little, trying to push as much air through her bruised windpipe. She stuck her hand into her bag, doing her best to manifest the spell she wanted.

 _Accio_ , she thought as hard as she could. _Accio wand!_

The wand bounced up against her hand before falling back into the abyss of her bag. She felt a frustrated sob pushing up her throat, but she choked it down.

“Come on, now.” The attacker pulled a knife out of his pocket.

Somehow, seeing the glint of sunlight against metal spurred the anxiety in Nina more than the wand had. _Accio wand. Accio wand. Accio wand._

God, she had never wanted anything more. Her mother would never forgive her if she died in some dirty alleyway in Londonderry.

Finally, the wand found its way into her palm. She pulled it out quickly, satisfied as her attackers took a few startled steps back.

“ _Petrificus Totalis!_ ” She cried.

One of her attackers fell to the ground with a heavy thud. She turned on the primary aggressor, poised to attack.

He beat her to it. “ _Expelliarmus_!” Her wand went flying in his direction, and he caught it in his outstretched hand. “ _Locomotor Wibbly_!”

Her legs lost all stability at once, and she collapsed to the ground. She tried to step back up on them, but they literally folded under the pressure. She cursed.

He came back up at her, holding her wand above her wand like a trainer holds treats above a dog. In a futile attempt, she outstretched a hand to grab it, but her attacker just laughed.

“Please,” she whispered, realizing for the first time that she was powerless.

He pocketed his own wand, holding her wand with two hands, one at either extreme.

“No!” She screamed.

He kicked her in the ribs. She inhaled sharply, but she couldn’t seem to find any air.

“Don’t scream.”

She nodded quickly. “I won’t— I won’t scream! Please don’t break my wand.”

He grinned cruelly at her, and with a swift movement, cracked the wand open over his knee. Traces of phoenix feather caught in the air, floating above her head. He threw the pieces at her feet.

“ _Finite incantatum,_ ” he pointed his wand at his friend.

He helped his friend to his feet, and they both descended upon her, berating her with kicks and punches until she couldn’t feel anything at all, and even the shadows of the alleyway dimmed out of existence.


	16. Derry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teddy makes it to Ireland.

Teddy erupted from the Floo, sliding across the floor in a heap of ash and robes. The customers of the pub turned, heads on a swivel, to see what made the clattering. Teddy scrambled to his feet and offered an awkward nod.

Someone near him made a snorting noise and returned to their conversation. Teddy banished the flush from his cheeks before it even came.

This pub was nothing like The Three Broomsticks. The Three Broomsticks had a certain innocent charm to it. It was covered in plants (he suspected that was Neville’s doing) and beckoned in every passing wizard. This pub wasn’t dark or dingy, but it operated with the same shamelessness that the pubs in Knockturn Alley did. Still, it was the only wizarding pub in Belfast that had answered his owl.

“Mr. Lupin?” asked a kindly old man, approaching the soot-covered professor by the fireplace.

Teddy nodded. “That’s me. Are you Mr. Oakleaf?”

His correspondence with Mr. Oakleaf had been brief and to the point; it came directly after his conversation with Minerva.

“The very same,” said the man with a smile. “Are you ready to head to Derry, or would you like a moment? I can bring you a butterbeer, if you’d like.”

Teddy was touched by the man’s kindness, though he suspected it had more to do with the fact that Teddy had enquired, albeit falsely, on behalf of Mr. Harry Potter for some Official Ministry Business.

He shook his head. “Thank you, but I’m afraid I’m on a bit of a tight schedule.”

“Of course, of course. I’m sure Mr. Potter is a busy man, even these days.”

Mr. Odin Oakleaf was a former resident of Derry, the very same who reported seeing Nina there, right outside the wizarding neighborhood of Garvaghey. Teddy had written him, asking if he could side-along Teddy from Belfast to Derry.

“Would you like to go to where I saw her, or would you like to go to the city?”

He considered a moment. “The city…” he said slowly. “She would have moved through by now, I’m sure of it.”

“You’re the expert,” said Mr. Oakleaf with a chuckle.

Teddy felt a rush of shameful pride that Mr. Oakleaf though he was an Auror. He shut it down at once. Teddy was a _professor_. He was practically bred for it. Mr. Oakleaf extended and arm and Teddy grabbed it. With a crack and snap, they were in an alleyway.

“You’re right by where I used to live,” said Mr. Oakleaf, without pretense. “The city center is that way,” he pointed west, “and there’s a bus station two blocks that way. I bet you could get a map there.”

Teddy took a moment to orient himself. The alleyway was still spinning— no matter how many years he’d had his apparation license, it still made his stomach roll.

“Thank you very much, Mr. Oakleaf. I’ll be sure to tell Auror Potter about your contribution.”

Mr. Oakleaf glowed. “Ach, it’s nothing. We all have to do our part in the fight against dark magic, don’t we? It’s just a shame it was a Weasley.”

Teddy managed a tight nod. “Indeed.”

Mr. Oakleaf promptly disappeared. The crack of his disapparation echoed in the alleyway.

When he was finally alone, Teddy took a steadying breath. This was mental. He’d disappeared from work on a hunch, lied to practically everyone he knew… But it wasn’t really lying, was it? Lying was deceiving someone for the _wrong_ reasons. Teddy was doing what all of them wanted of him, one way or another.

He exited the alleyway. Muggles bustled down the streets, unaware entirely of the magic that had just happened in the alleyway. Teddy headed towards the town center. There’d probably be a tourist center, he reasoned, that could give him a more comprehensive map than the one at the bus station.

The streets grew less crowded as he walked, and he frowned. He carried on for twenty minutes, then thirty. Maybe Mr. Oakleaf was wrong— surely there couldn’t be fewer people at the town center than there were in the neighborhood he used to live in.

Teddy stopped, running his hands through his blue locks. He pulled them gently, oddly reassured by the tug against his scalp.

“No!” came a distant cry.

Teddy pivoted at once. The had sound chilled him all the way to his bones—he recognized the voice well. He blinked. Surely he hadn’t stumbled upon her in the first hour of his arrival to Derry…

When another cry came from the same direction, Teddy leapt into action. He continued in the direction he had been going, running as fast as he ever had down the streets. He accidentally shoved a Muggle businessman out of the way in his pursuit, but he did not even stop to apologize as the man hit the ground.

He just kept thinking about her voice, ringing through his mind. He heard faint moaning, and the sound of kicks landing heavily against something soft.

“Fucking bitch,” a man spat.

Teddy had his wand at the ready. He didn’t even care if they were muggles, he was about to unleash the foulest hexes he could muster. “Oi,” he called, wand outstretched.

The two assailants turned on their heels. They had their own wands outstretched, and Teddy almost grinned.

He fired the first spell.

He was winning— he knew he was going to from the moment the first one of them fired his curse. They didn’t know nonverbal magic, and Teddy knew it better than almost anyone. He came forth with his most powerful hexes, hardly remembering what they were called or what they did, just that they were decidedly offensive.

“ _Bombarda!_ ” he finally said aloud, sending both of them flying into the back wall of the alley. As they flew back, he summoned the unconscious body on the ground closer to him. Their bodies hit the ground where Nina had been laying with a heavy thunk.

Teddy approached their unconscious forms with a grimace. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw something red laying on the ground. He bent down.

“Oh my god,” he mumbled, picking up the shattered remains of Nina’s wand.

Her assailants must have snapped it, but in the fighting, it had been trod on and jinxed enough that it had splintered and shattered all over. There was hardly evidence that this was a wand to begin with, aside from the bright red plumage of a broken phoenix feather.

With careful attention, Teddy grabbed both ends of the feather. It had lost some of its fluff. It was a scraggly thing now, snapped right in half. He pocketed it. There was no saving that wand, but maybe Nina would want the remains.

He turned to her. She was unrecognizable, and not just because she was swollen beyond belief. Her eyelids had puffed up so much that even if she was awake, there’d be no way she could open her eyes. Blood leaked out of her nose and mouth, and he couldn’t bear the idea of lifting her shirt to see if there was any damage on her torso.

The first thing he’d noticed was her hair. It was shorn off and dark brown. It barely came down to her shoulders. Teddy’s hands shook as he bent down to push a lock of it out of her face.

“Nina,” he whispered.

He couldn’t believe he’d found her. Here, of all places, when he had been secretly convinced he was on nothing more than a wild goose chase.

She wheezed and, as she exhaled, blood gurgled out of her broken lips. He felt like he could be sick.

Did he take her to St. Mungo’s? He wasn’t sure she’d make it through an apparation.

The street beyond the alleyway looked fairly vacant at this juncture. A few cars hurried down the streets, but almost nobody was walking around here anymore.

He tugged at the roots of his hair, biting the inside of his cheek. He hardly knew any healing magic— what if he made it worse? He needed a mediwizard.

Nina tried to cough, but winced. She brought a hand to her ribs, cradling herself close.

“Nina, it’s me. It’s Teddy,” he said.

He couldn’t tell if she’d recognized his existence at all. She said nothing, and no twitches on her face lead him to believe she was aware of his presence at all.

He decided to start small. “ _Tergeo,_ ” he whispered.

The blood vanished from her face. She looked cleaner— though mud still caked her clothes and her hands. He swallowed hard, continuing down to her ribs. They were surely broken. He moved her hand from her torso, gently, and pointed his wand in the general area of her ribs.

“ _Brackium Emendo,_ ” he continued. There was a gnarly snapping sound, and Nina grunted.

He sighed shakily. At the very least, she was somewhat responsive. He didn’t have the stomach for this— he didn’t know how Victoire did it. He blinked away frustrated tears. He wished he could call her for help. She would know what to do here.

He continued up to Nina’s face, banishing all thoughts of her sister from his mind. Tentatively, he reached out to touch her split lip. He felt the bridge of her nose, feeling the uneven texture of her broken nose underneath his fingertips. He swallowed down bile.

“ _Episky_ ,” he said. First he cast it on her lip, which knit itself back together marvelously, and then on her nose, which released another gruesome snapping sound, before straightening on her face.

He almost smiled. She was starting to look normal now. There was only one other medical spell that he knew, and he wasn’t sure how much help it would be. _Reparifors_ was only for magically induced ailments, and Nina looked like she’d been beaten the old fashioned way.

Still, he cast it over her sleeping frame. To his shock, her legs seemed to stiffen back into form. In all his distraction, he had not noticed that someone had cast the Jelly Legs Jinx on her.

She looked a hell of a lot better than she had when he first found her, but his stomach still churned at the sight of her. He looked back over at her attackers. Anger boiled in him like he’d never felt it before; red in his vision and tight in his throat.

He shook his head. Nina was his priority. He cast a Disillusionment Charm over her body and threw her over his shoulder.

He knew exactly where he needed to go, and it was definitely not back to Shell Cottage.

* * *

He found it harder than he imagined to carry around an invisible girl. Nina weighed almost nothing— it scared him a little when he picked her up and found that she weighed less than Lily Luna— but she still pressed against his shoulder enough to make it obvious.

He walked into the nearest pub. He pulled fifty quid out of his wallet and set it on the counter. “Could I get a room for the night, please?”

The man at the counter looked surprised. It was a seedy pub, and Teddy was still wearing his nice teaching clothes. The man at the counter raised an eyebrow.

“Will you be expecting anybody to join you this evening?”

Teddy hesitated. “What do you—“ he stopped all of the sudden, heat flushing his cheeks as he realized the implication. “No. Erm, it will just be me.”

His shoulder was starting to droop under Nina’s weight, and he did his best to force it upright. “Just as fast as you can, thank you,” he said.

The man nodded. He set a key on the counter, adorned with an intricate three. “Just up the stairs and to your left,” he said.

Teddy nodded eagerly, rushing up the staircase as fast as he could. When he swung open the door to the room, he was relieved to find that it was at least a queen bed. It’d give him space to sit and work while Nina rested. A window faced the back alley, and Teddy saw red all over again when he could still see the assailant’s unconscious bodies laying in the back of the alleyway.

He set Nina on the bed gently. He hoped nobody saw their duel out there. The last thing he needed was a sanction from the Ministry for performing magic in front of muggles. He reversed the Disillusionment Charm, and she popped back into existence on the bed.

Nina’s purse still rested across her body. He had half a mind to remove it— she’d probably rest easier that way— but he hesitated.

She would probably feel embarrassed when she woke up if she thought Teddy had been manhandling her in her sleep. He frowned. Her blood-stained clothes were ruining the duvet.

He grabbed the strap of her purse, carefully pulling it over her head. He set it on the nightstand for a moment, before he picked it back up to open it. Maybe she had some muggle money in there— he’d already exhausted his supply. He could run off and buy her a cheap change of clothing, so that she’d be more comfortable later.

He stuck his hand in without thinking. His jaw fell. His hand was no where close to any other fabric, or any indication that the bag ended at all. He stuck his hand in up to his wrist, then up to his elbow. He felt the plasticky crinkle of a rain jacket next to what had to be a Weasley sweater.

He pulled his arm out, looking at Nina with incredulous eyes. “Dominique Weasley,” he breathed.

Still asleep, she did not react.

He held the bag up in front of him. It didn’t weigh a lot. In fact, it looked familiar. He could have sworn he’d seen it before.

He laughed. “Oh my God,” he said as he realized, “it’s Hermione’s.”

He turned the bag upside down. Things fell out of it like a waterfall. Cascades of old books, potions, an entire tent, a few changes of clothes, and many granola bar wrappers. He shook his head.

This whole time, he thought Nina had left without a plan. Sometimes, he had wondered if Bill and Fleur were hiding her with a Fidelius Charm. But that day, they were just as shocked as he was to realize Nina had disappeared.

But Nina had planned. Clearly, she’d planned. There were spell books and maps in this pile. Tents and food. She’d planned to be gone for a while.

What did she think was going to happen? He couldn’t help but wonder. Did she think she’d spend her whole life as a nomad, traversing through the countryside and hoping nobody would find her?

At the crown of her head, her dark brown hair was growing out, and fiery red roots were starting to take its place.

She was too recognizable. Even with the brown hair, the Ministry had gotten calls about her disappearance. He just couldn’t believe she’d cut it at all. It barely fanned over her shoulders now, and she had always been so proud of how long it had gotten.

Teddy sighed, grabbing a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt from her pile. He felt a little bad— she was definitely going to be mortified when she woke up— but he needed to assess the damage to her body. And she desperately needed a change of clothes.

He wrinkled his nose. And a shower— but he would leave that to her when she woke up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAH nina and teddy have finally met up with one another!! only took 16 chapters lol  
> we're getting into the good bits of the story now, i'm so excited for y'all to read their adventure !!!


	17. Unlikely Trio

Nina woke up in a strange place, wearing a different pair of clothes than she fell asleep in. Immediately, her heart began to race. Her memory was fuzzy after the attack in the alleyway, surely…

She swallowed hard. Surely the robbers hadn’t tried to take anything other than just _money_ right? She assessed the damage to her body. She felt sore— but not in any of the places she was worried about— and she could see bruises all over her exposed arms.

She recognized the shirt. She’d packed it for the trip. It was a hand me down from her father, a loose Weird Sisters tee from ages ago. As she looked down at her legs, she realized the sweatpants were hers, too.

A brief assessment of the room— nothing more than a standard tavern room— showed her she was alone. There was one, large bed in the center of the room, opposite a desk with an aggressively large mirror, and a small corridor next to her, which she presumed led to a bathroom. On her other side was a small window, covered by a suspiciously stained curtain, which overlooked an alleyway. The same alleyway she’d been attacked in. Was it yesterday? It seemed a bit fuzzy now. She couldn’t remember if she’d been attacked in the day or the night, only that they’d cornered her and—

She stopped mid thought, so overwhelmed that the air flew straight out of her lungs.

And they’d broken her wand.

Her brief sense of security disappeared at once. She still had no idea how she’d gotten here, and now she had no wand to protect her. She didn’t even have Blarney.

The worst seemed to come to her mind at once: The Ministry had found her, and she was on her way to Azkaban before nightfall. She’d already been found guilty…

She swallowed hard and swung her legs out of the bed; she’d escaped the Ministry once before, she could do it again. She would do it as many times as she had to: wand or no wand.

At the end of the day, wands could be replaced. She’d buy one off the black market if she had to. Steal, even. Her freedom could not be so easily replaced.

She grabbed her bag from desk by the window and her coat from the closet. A thin, slightly damp sweater hung next to it. It was large and relatively new. At least, she thought, she hadn’t been taken by the same men from the alley. They certainly couldn’t have afforded a sweater that new.

It must have been the Ministry, then. A single Auror come to extract her.

Her brow furrowed. But Aurors never came alone. They almost always came in sets of three. She shook her head— she didn’t have time to devote to this— threw on her jacket, hood up, and ducked out of the room.

The pub below was fairly vacant. Nonetheless, Nina tugged her hood over face and hurried out.

“Oi! Gerrof!”

Noises of struggle came emanating from the nearby alley.

“If you think this is tough, you’ve got another thing coming!” said a familiar voice.

Nina stopped dead, turning towards the shadowed alleyway. When she stepped into the alleyway, she was confronted with a strange scene.

There was a long, thin wand on the discarded on ground. It lay right next to Nina’s feet, and she grabbed it immediately, brandishing it at the two figures in front of her.

She recognized one of the figures at once. Blarney was sat on the mysterious wizard’s shoulders, fingers in his nose and jerking his head back violently. He was cackling with joy, and the wizard was trying his best to pry the leprechaun from his shoulders to no avail.

The wizard was tall and brunette, but he wasn’t wearing any law enforcement uniform. She clenched the wand tighter, knowing perfectly well that plainclothes didn’t mean anything.

“Nina!” cried Blarney in delight. “Look what I’ve caught!”

The wizard flailed his arms. “Gerrof!”

“You can let him go, Blarney,” said Nina.

Blarney disappeared from the wizard’s shoulder with a pop and back by her side with another. Immediately, the wizard rubbed his nose. His features melted away and re-solidified, and his brown hair quickly bled blue.

“Nina!” said the man.

“Teddy?” Nina blinked. She wasn’t sure how she hadn’t recognized him before, the glamour wasn’t thick. “What’re you doing here?”

“You know him?” demanded Blarney. “I thought he kidnapped you!”

“Well, he sort of did…” said Nina with a frown.

She still couldn’t the remember the details of what happened after her attack, and she jabbed Teddy’s wand aggressively at him.

“What _are_ you doing here?” she asked again.

“Nina, give me my wand.”

Blarney whipped out his shoe, brandishing it against Teddy. “It’s two against one,” he said.

Teddy looked, stupefied, between the two of them.

“You have a leprechaun?”

“She does not _have_ me,” roared Blarney in protest, just as Nina said, “Yes, it’s a long story.”

“Give me my wand,” he repeated gently, hand outstretched.

She clenched it tighter. If he really wanted it, he had more than enough power to take it from her.

“No,” she said, chin out in defiance. “Why are you here?”

He took a tentative step closer, and Nina backed up in response. He looked almost hurt.

“I’m here to bring you back,” he said.

“Not happening.”

“Jinx the brains right out of him,” encouraged Blarney.

Nina would have considered it if Teddy hadn’t moved his hand sharply and cried “ _Expelliarmus_ ,” sending the wand straight out of her hand. She grumbled. She knew it was coming.

Immediately, Blarney popped back onto Teddy’s shoulders and began to clobber him with his extra shoe.

“ _Flipendo_ ,” said Teddy, more annoyed than anything.

Blarney flew through the air and crashed onto the ground next to Nina. She offered him a hand, pulling him to his feet.

“Are you going to control your leprechaun?” he asked. “Or do I need to keep this out?”

Nina snorted. “ _I_ don’t control him.”

Blarney crossed his arms. Teddy kept his wand out, but let hand fall loosely to his side.

“I’m here to bring you back,” he said again.

“Have I been exonerated?”

“Erm, well, no—“

“Then no!”

Nina turned to leave, but Teddy scrambled toward her, grabbing her arm. She pulled it back sharply.

“I’m not coming back, Teddy, so there’s no point,” she said sharply. “I won’t give up my magic.”

“What are you going to do here, on the run, with no wand?” he hissed.

Nina blinked. “How do you—“

Teddy dug in his pocket and pulled out two split ends of a phoenix feather. Nina’s breath caught in her throat, remembering tufts of red floating through the air as her attackers descended upon her.

“I saved you,” he said, shoving the feather into her hand. “Two days ago, I found you in this alleyway, bruised and bleeding, with a broken wand. I fought off some Snatchers and brought you to the tavern.”

Her ribs ached at the memory, and she brought her arms over them.

“Thank you,” she said sincerely. “You saved my life, and I owe you one. But I won’t come back with you.”

He shook his head. “You’d rather live on the run without a wand than come home and face trial? I know you’re innocent; I’ve been thinking about how we can prove it!”

“They’ve already decided I’m guilty,” she said hotly.

“I know about Jackson Bane.”

There was a heavy pause.

“You do?”

Teddy nodded. “Come back with me; we can prove it.”

The idea sounded so tempting. After weeks on the run, she wanted nothing more than to see her family. She missed Iskra and Hogwarts and magic. But she swallowed hard, shaking her head.

“I’m sorry, Teddy.”

The first glimpse of frustration seemed to cross his face. “Fine! Then I’ll just stay until I convince you.”

She quirked a brow. “Will you?”

She gave him a week. Tops.

* * *

They left Derry that night. By foot— it was too risky otherwise, despite the ache in Nina’s ribs and the soreness in her thighs, she trudged on. She powered through the pain, choosing instead to think of better things, like the way Teddy’s hair fell flat against his forehead without any styling.

They’d made good use of the tavern room, though, and Nina took a long, hot shower to rub away all the dirt and grease that days of travel and built up on her skin. The black eye on the left side of her face wouldn’t wash away in the shower, but she didn’t mind it. She thought it made her look tough. She was almost sad to leave the luxury of the pub, but she knew she had to carry on.

“How have you been getting around?” asked Teddy as they walked. “I didn’t find that many records of your travel. And they appeared days apart— in confusing places. It was only from a Ministry tip-off that I’d managed to gather you were in Ireland.”

“A tip off?” asked Nina. “Where? When?”

“Here. About a week ago now. Somebody said they’d seen you on the outskirts of Derry. Shockingly close to the wizarding district, actually. It was a bit careless.”

“I didn’t think Derry had a wizarding district.”

She was doing her best to keep her voice measured, but inside, she was reeling. She thought she had been doing so well. She was sure she hadn’t seen any wizards since Tinworth— maybe even since Shell Cottage.

“It’s small, of course. Just a neighborhood, really. The big one is in Belfast.”

“That’s what I’d assumed…”

“I wouldn’t be too worried,” he said, catching sight of her furrowed brow. “Harry said he’d gotten tip offs from everywhere. Lots from France, a few from Louisiana, even. In America.”

“I know where Louisiana is.” Nina rolled her eyes.

He put his hands up defensively. “I didn’t! I think they probably think it has something to do with your French side.”

“Undoubtedly,” Nina murmured.

They trudged along the road in silence for a while, watching farms pass them by in the distance.

“You didn’t answer my question, though.”

“Blimey, Teddy, how do _you_ think I’ve been getting around? Since you appear to be the expert in all things Dominique Weasley.”

“Only in all things for the _fugitive_ Dominique Weasley,” he said earnestly.

“Merlin. Well, I’ve been walking mostly. Sometimes I hitchhike. Occasionally I take a bus, but it’s better to do it all under the radar.”

“We haven’t taken the bus in a long time,” called Blarney from the front, annoyed. Nina didn’t ever recall taking a bus with Blarney— but then she remembered the eyes on her head on the way to Derry.

“I saw a tent in your bag,” said Teddy quietly.

“You went though my bag?” demanded Nina.

“You were asleep for a whole day, what was I supposed to do?”

Nina stopped. “You had me unconscious for a whole day and didn’t call the Aurors?”

“I wanted to make sure you were alright first.”

“I’m alright now.”

“You say that like you _want_ me to call them.”

“Of course I don’t,” she snapped, trudging along. “I just don’t understand what you’re here for at all.”

“I’m telling you, I want to convince you to come back of your own accord. The Wizengamot might be more empathetic if—“

“We’ve been over this, Teddy. They’ve come to their decision.”

“Because you didn’t come to your trial! Nina, there are a million ways to prove your innocence. You have memories, for one. Second, you seem to have no bloody clue what you stole in the first place.”

“I don’t,” she said hotly. “I don’t want to know. And I didn’t steal it!”

“An excellent third point! You didn’t even steal it! There’s no way to tie it to you. Minerva didn’t even see it in your hand. They still don’t know where it is.”

“I think an excellent place to start would be Jackson Bane’s dormitory.”

“Which brings me to my fourth point,” he stopped again, grabbing Nina’s wrist so that she’d face him. His brown eyes bored into hers. “Jackson Bane is the one who’s guilty. Not you.”

“He put the book in _my_ backpack. That’s enough physical evidence,” she said darkly.

“Do you have a memory of that?” he asked eagerly.

“No. But he had to have done it during the second test.”

She flashed back to their backpacks in the corner of the tartan, completely unattended. It wouldn’t have taken long…

“Second test?” echoed Teddy.

Nina flushed, remembering in vivid detail the contents of the _first_ test. She gave him and abridged version of both.

“ _You had sex in the Restricted Section?_ ” he hissed so that Blarney could not hear. “Christ! Nina! Merlin— I don’t even want to think about it. Do you know how many detentions that’s worth?”

He clapped his hands over his eyes like he could wash the memory straight out of his mind.

“Trust you to think about it in the measure of detentions, Professor Lupin,” she said haughtily in reply. “Besides, that’s really not the important bit here. The important bit is that he’d been planning this for a long time. Since you assigned the essay, at the very least _._ ”

He let his hands fall, nodding. “That’s true… I wonder if there’s anything in his old schoolwork that could suggest a tendency like this. Iskra did say he had a particular affinity for—“

“History of Magic,” grimaced Nina. “Yes. I think so.”

She thought about that conversation a lot. How different her life might be now if she had heeded her best friend’s warning then.

“I thought Iskra must have done it,” he admitted. “At first. Louis was so convinced you were innocent, he showed up with Rose and Al with all these books. Demanded that I help you out. And Iskra… she looked so scared all the time. You guys had been in a row.”

Her heart warmed at the thought of her little brother. Louis was always so passionate, just like Fleur. She blinked hard, pushing the feelings away.

“Iskra could never,” she said, voice hoarse. “Not after everything her father went through in the war.”

He nodded. “That’s fair.”

“What are you going to do?” asked Nina. “When I don’t come back with you? Don’t you have classes to teach?”

Derry was far behind them now, and they were surrounded by expanses of farmland and small houses. In the darkness, the wide stretches of flat land left Nina feeling exposed. She flexed for her wand, but stopped as she remembered its absence.

“I think you will,” said Teddy optimistically. There was a note of hollowness in it, and Nina could tell he was projecting a false confidence.

“I won’t,” said Nina forcefully. “You’re wasting your time following me. If you’re going to call the Aurors, do it now.”

He didn’t reach for his wand. He kept trudging forward.

“I’m serious, Teddy. Do it now. Save us both the trouble. If you’re so sure I’ll get off, call them.”

His hand tensed like he was thinking about it, but it fell back by his side lazily.

“Nina,” he said desperately.

“You don’t even think I’ll get off!” she protested. “Merlin, if only I had my wand, Teddy. I swear, I would obliviate you so fast. I just don’t see what your plan is here at all. You found me in Ireland without, I presume, telling Harry any of it. Because if you did, they’d be here by now, and I’d be rotting in Azkaban already.”

His jaw clenched, but he didn’t fight back. Nina trudged alongside him, continuing on.

“So you’re here. You’ve found me, congrats. But you won’t call the Aurors, you have no idea about _my_ plans, and you don’t seem to be returning back to Hogwarts. And if you did, then what? Are you going to tell McGonagall that you’ve returned from this mysterious sabbatical and not explain to her that you’ve found me? Will you obstruct justice, Teddy? Because you don’t seem like the type!”

“Fine!” he said, throwing his hands up. “I don’t have a plan! I thought… Well, I thought you’d come with me Nina. You’ve always had a soft spot for me—“

Nina couldn’t do more than blink at him. _A soft spot._ He’d come all this way to twist in the knife— to remind her that her feelings were not reciprocated— and patronize her in the process.

“—And I was hoping you’d listen to reason. But you say you won’t.”

She swallowed down the hurt. She didn’t respond. There was nothing new to say. So she trudged along, one foot in front of the other, until her tired legs couldn’t take it anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aah the gang's all together!!


	18. Confrontations and Reflections

Teddy woke up early the next day, thanks to a gentle kick from Nina.

“Get up,” she said. “We need to make it to our next spot before it gets too crowded.”

That was all she said to him for the better part of the morning.

He wouldn’t have minded, except for the fact that her silence was grating. It was a familiar silent anger— he recognized it well from Victoire— and he knew the best way to combat it. He tried to radiate as much positivity as he could. No complaining, doing extra favors and chores around the campsite, and offering an extra enthusiastic thank you when she handed him their makeshift breakfast: apple fruit leather and another granola bar.

Her wall of silence didn’t come down, but Teddy was starting to find solace in the quietude. He’d never been to Ireland, and he liked it more and more with every passing hour.

“Where are we going?” he asked, about forty minutes into their walk.

She shot him a withering look, but answered gruffly. “Muff.”

“Sorry, we’re headed to a town called Muff?” asked Teddy, snickering despite himself.

She whipped out a cartoonishly large map punctuated with circles and pointed to a circle at the top of Ireland. _Muff_ , she’d written, drawing an arrow to a circle. The final destination wasn’t much farther away from there. She’d crossed an X over the coast, drawing an arrow and writing _Quigley’s Point_.

“Any other questions?” she asked in an uninviting tone.

“Nope,” said Teddy, popping the p.

He wasn’t quite sure if this wall of silence had more to do with his presence in general, or with something he’d said last night. She’d gotten suspiciously quiet after their argument, which seemed out of character for her. Nina was always argumentative, and almost never quiet.

It must have been something he’d said.

* * *

“What’s that?” asked Nina, just as the sun was beginning to creep its way above the horizon.

It was still dark, for the most part, but the morning twilight cast the road in a blueish hue. Down the road was a single light, bright orange and flickering.

“Maybe it’s a flare,” replied Teddy with a frown.

“Do muggles have those?”

“Sure they do,” he said, mostly confident. “I’m sure they just use fire instead of sparks. Look.” He pointed at the light. “It’s flickering like fire.”

“Do you think we should cut that way?” She pointed towards the center of the farmland, frowning. “It’s just so hard without any cover…”

“No,” said Teddy, waving away the idea. “Whoever it is needs our help.”

“And what are we going to give them?” She narrowed her eyes. “We have no money, hardly any food, no phones, and only one map. Unless you want to give them the shirt off your back, I think they’re out of luck.”

“Kindness won’t kill you,” reminded Teddy.

“But my kindness might kill _you_ ,” grumbled Nina.

He couldn’t even bring himself to roll his eyes. If Nina really did have a “soft-spot” for Teddy, he thought she had a peculiar way of showing it.

As they grew closer, he could see Nina growing more tense. She’d thrown up her hood, in what Teddy believed was an attempt to cover her ginger roots, and walked with her shoulders hunched.

“Hello?” asked Teddy, once they were in hearing distance. He was beginning to make out distinguishing details about the mystery man. He was short, and leaned heavily on a cane, where he’d hung a lantern.

Briefly, Teddy wondered what sort of muggle used a _lantern_. Didn’t their phones have flashlights?

“Are you alright, sir?” asked Nina, demonstrating little empathy and lots of skepticism.

The figure didn’t say anything, but lifted his lantern towards his face.

“Nina,” began Teddy slowly, as it dawned on him. “That’s not a—“

Just as Teddy began to speak, the figure grabbed fire straight from his lantern and hurled it at them both. Nina screamed, ducking out of the way as a fireball soared just above her head.

“A bloody hinkypunk!” she protested. “I told you, Teddy!”

Teddy ducked as another great lob of fire came flying above his head. “Well, I’m sorry—“ he grunted, sending a third ball of fire sideways into the field, “— for being compassionate!”

“The grass!” cried Nina, pointing behind him.

The hinkypunk was making considerable ground, and the field beside him seemed to have caught fire.

“ _Aguamenti_!” A patch of fire began to sizzle out, but the rest still spread.

“Let— go— you— little—“ roared Nina.

Teddy pivoted to the sound of her voice. The hinkypunk was balancing on its solitary leg, tugging persistently at Nina’s beaded bag.

“I didn’t think hinkypunks were thieves, too,” cried Nina, attempting to kick the figure back.

The fire was spreading on the field next to him. Meanwhile, the hinkypunk let go of the bag with one hand to grab some fire from his lantern with another.

“Do something!” Her whole leverage was being used to pull the bag from its grasp.

Teddy froze. “I— uh—“

“Duo, Teddy!”

It was like he clicked into gear. “Right!” he said before crying, “ _Lumos Duo_!”

A blinding flash of light came down on Nina and the hinkypunk. Her hands flew to her eyes as the hinkypunk froze, solidified, and fell to the ground with a thunk.

“ _Flipendo_!” continued Teddy. The hinkypunk went flying back. “ _Flipendo! Flipendo!_ ”

At the third try, the creature disappeared in a puff of white smoke, leaving behind Nina’s beaded purse, scorched with fingerprint marks around its strap.

Nina scurried to grab her purse. Teddy turned to the fire, which had begun to die out as the hinkypunk disappeared. “ _Aguamenti_ ,” he sighed, dispelling the rest of the flames.

Nina panted. “We’re not by any marshes… Aren’t they only supposed to appear by marshes?”

Teddy frowned. “Normally, yes, but not exclusively.”

Nina tensed. “Do you think the Ministry sent it somehow?”

He went to shake his head, but stopped. Was it so impossible? He stared at the scorch mark in the dirt where the hinkypunk had finally evaporated.

“I don’t know,” he said finally. “But it doesn’t seem like Hermione’s style.”

At that, Nina rolled her eyes. “ _Please_. She’s all for the equality and employment of magical creatures. She’d be thrilled to put a hinkypunk on her payroll.”

Teddy laughed. “Maybe.”

“Wait a second…” said Nina slowly, drawing her eyes to Blarney, who looked a little guilty. “I’ve been encountered a _lot_ of magical creatures lately.”

“How odd,” said Blarney vaguely.

“Blarney!” she snapped.

The old leprechaun let out a tired breath. “Yes, fine. Hermione mobilized a coalition of leprechauns to look out for you in case you came to Ireland.”

She heaved a sigh. “Sounds about right.”

“You’re just going to allow that?” asked Teddy. “He could be a traitor for all you know.”

Blarney began a protest that was swiftly cut off by Nina.

“It’s not his fault he had to work for Auntie Hermione. He becomes indebted to anyone who captures him.”

“She’s paying him. He’s hardly captured,” said Teddy, narrowing his eyes at Blarney.

“It’s all the same! A contract is like being held captive, and his contract with Auntie Hermione ended the moment I snatched his little ankle in my hand.”

“It’s not little,” said Blarney defensively.

“Now, Blarney is indebted to me. And believe me, he’s not going anywhere. He won’t let himself get recaptured.”

“Why wouldn’t he?” asked Teddy.

“Better the devil you know,” said Blarney with a shrug.

“Exactly,” said Nina, not in the least offended. “He won’t let himself get recaptured, and I don’t have any wishes.”

“I could think of a few,” said Teddy darkly. Like a _wand._

“Well, nobody is paying you to think, Teddy Lupin,” snapped Nina, sounding shockingly like his Nan. She turned back to Blarney. “Now, we know for a fact the leprechauns are looking for me, is anybody else?”

Blarney looked withholding at first, but softened under Nina’s glare. “Faeries and trolls, for sure. I heard some talk about the bugganes, but I can’t be sure.”

“Bugganes,” echoed Nina. “That sounds oddly familiar.”

“If I was you, Nee, I wouldn’t trust any magical creatures. Wizards included.” Blarney shot Teddy a scowl. “Except for me, of course.”

Nina snorted. “Right, because you set the standard for trustworthy beasts.” She spared Teddy a sideways look. “He saved our lives today, Blarney. I… trust him. That means you should, too.”

Blarney didn’t have anything to say at that. Teddy shot her a grateful smile. She nodded, swiftly and only once, and continued forward. She limped on, leaving Blarney and Teddy to catch up behind her.

* * *

A few hours later, they arrived to Muff. It was becoming harder and harder to conceal their hiding spot, and, not for the first time, Teddy was grateful he’d decided to join her.

He ought to have been trying to sabotage her, he supposed. It was in his best interest that she return to England to face trial, but he wanted her to come willingly. He suspected that if the Ministry caught her, they’d be too chuffed with the victory to consider her innocence.

So, when they stopped for the night— though it was really early morning by now, the sun was rising higher by the minute— he set up some wards around their campsite.

The tent was far more accommodating on the inside than it appeared outwardly. There were three main rooms, each divided by another wide swath of fabric hung by clothespins and string. It worked perfectly for the three of them, but Teddy couldn’t bear to sit in the tent. He couldn’t fall asleep.

He’d been thinking, ever since they’d fought that blasted hinkypunk, about how he froze. He’d forgotten, against all odds, how to fight a _hinkypunk_. He’d done a lesson on hinkypunks to his third years not two weeks ago, but if Nina had not chimed in they would have been burned to a crisp. Or worse still, caught by the Ministry.

Teddy sat on a log just outside the tent. He’d made a small fire, despite the heating charm he’d cast on the tent. There was just something reassuring about the flicker of the flame. In small doses, at least.

The tent door rustled open.

“Oh, sorry,” said Nina. “I thought you’d gone to bed.”

“No, it’s fine,” said Teddy. He conjured another log for her to sit on. “You can join me, if you’d like.”

She looked hesitant, but she gently uncrossed her arms and sat next to him.

“Blarney's asleep,” she whispered. “It was a long day.”

Teddy nodded. “Yeah.”

A wave of embarrassment came back at once, hot and bright as the flame before him. He didn’t look at her. He hoped she was looking at the fire like he was, instead of his flushed cheeks.

It wouldn’t have been such a long day if he’d just remembered the spell. _Lumos Duo_. It was in the Standard Book of Spells, for Merlin’s sake. Maybe Neville was right after all.

“You did great today,” he said, thinking of the incident. “I— well, I…”

“I would have been toast without you. It’s hard, in situations like these… When I found the buggane a few weeks ago, I was so confused. I didn’t know what it was or how to fight it. I only got away by accident. I should have been caught right then.”

“I studied them for my Care of Magical Creatures N.E.W.T,” said Teddy, finally smiling at the memory. Hagrid had wanted to bring one in, but Minerva had to put her foot down.

“We hadn’t gotten that far when I… you know.”

There was a brief silence.

“Yeah,” said Teddy.

“Why did you become a Defense professor?” asked Nina suddenly. “Like, when did you know that’s when you wanted?”

He blinked. Nobody had asked him that before.

“Well, I mean..” started Teddy, but he trailed off as he came to a blank.

Why _had_ he become a Defense teacher? It just always seemed like what he was mean to do. He had an inexplicable connection to it. He loved the smell of sparks from the crack of magic leaving his wand.

“I didn’t hear the best things about Professor Creevey,” she said with a frown. “At least, I didn’t like him much, personally. And when he announced he was retiring, everyone was so certain Uncle Harry would take the position. Then all the sudden I saw you in the Great Hall, and I was shocked.”

“Harry didn’t want the position.”

“That’s fair, I suppose,” Nina frowned. “He’s a brilliant Auror.”

“He did teach once, though. In my third year.”

Nina’s jaw fell slack. “Did he really? I didn’t know about that.”

“Yes, well, Creevey took some time off to write his books, and Harry was asked to fill the spot.”

He remembered Harry’s first day on the job with distinct clarity. Harry had looked uncharacteristically nervous, tugging at the sleeves of his robes and rocking on his feet. They’d been nearly forty kids in Hufflepuff/Gryffindor Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Harry had blinked at them, pointing vaguely at a diagram of a redcap, and stuttered his way through the lesson.

It had boggled Teddy’s mind to see Harry Potter so nervous to teach a room full of thirteen year olds. One would have never known this was the same man who’d defeated Voldemort from the pallor of Harry’s cheeks. As the year went on, Harry’s confidence improved drastically.

But there was one lesson in particular that stuck out to Teddy more than the rest of them. They were instructed one afternoon to go to the teacher’s lounge. At the front of the room stood a grinning Professor Potter and a particularly rattly wardrobe.

“This,” Harry had said, “is a boggart.”

The class had erupted into murmurs. Teddy knew by then what a boggart was— he’d had the misfortune to encounter a nasty one under his bed at his grandmother’s house when he was young. He knew the form his boggart took, and he’d spent the whole lesson standing in the back, sweating profusely.

One by one, the students had faced their fears, dismissing them with their wands. Everyone was roaring with laughter, especially when Harry’s boggart— a dementor— had let out an incredibly loud belch and fallen to the floor in a heap of tattered robes. When it was Teddy’s turn, he couldn’t do it. Harry was smiling, gesturing for him to come up to the front, but Teddy felt like was going to be sick. He ran out of the teacher’s lounge.

That Christmas, Teddy had spent the whole break at the Potter house. It had been awkward between him and Harry since that lesson, and Teddy had spent the majority of the break anywhere his godfather wasn’t.

Late one night, Teddy came tiptoeing down the stairs for a glass of water. He had to be extra quiet; Lily was a newborn, and she spent most of her days sleeping so that she’d have the energy to spend the whole night crying. She was asleep, miraculously, and Teddy was not going to be the one to wake her. He’d come downstairs to go to the kitchen for a glass of water, but he’d stopped dead in his tracks when he heard Harry and Ginny murmuring in the kitchen.

He listened with rapt attention just outside the kitchen.

“I just don’t know what to do, Gin,” sighed Harry. “He won’t talk to me.”

Ginny hummed, thoughtful. “Since the lesson?” She asked.

Teddy’s gut had sank as he realized they were talking about him.

“He wouldn’t face his boggart. He ran out, practically in tears. Took me ages to get the students calmed down after that.”

Teddy had winced at the memory of the days following the boggart lesson. His classmates had spent the better part of the week calling him The Boy Who Fled.

“What could he be so afraid of?” Harry whispered. “That he won’t tell even me about it? I wrote Andromeda, she doesn’t know either.”

The night Teddy encountered a boggart under his bed, when he was no more than nine years old, he’d burst into tears and ran from his room to his Grandmother’s. She’d banished the boggart in a jiffy, but Teddy couldn’t bring himself to explain what he saw. It was not something Teddy ever wanted to relive.

In the kitchen, Ginny had sighed. “I’m sure he’ll come around. He’s thirteen; it’s a precarious age.”

“I know, I know… But when Creevey approached me about the job, I only took it _because_ of Teddy. I figured…” Harry hesitated, voice quite thick. “I figured, he’d never know what it was like to have Remus as a professor. But I could do my best to recreate it for him.”

“Oh, Harry…”

Teddy had just blinked, unable to process fully what he’d heard. He turned, tiptoed back up the stairs, and slept through the night with a curious feeling in his heart and a very parched throat.

A distant rumble of thunder pulled him back to Nina, who was staring at him expectantly.

“I guess I wanted to do it because my father did it,” he said slowly. “And as for when I knew? Well, I must have decided the summer after third year. I just went into fourth year knowing I wanted to learn everything I could about Defense.”

“Right,” said Nina. She laughed to herself. “This is what we should have talked about at my caree—“

She stopped dead in her tracks, and Teddy caught her flush darkly. He swallowed, thinking back to the day. The kiss. The broken paperweight. The stupid dent in his floor.

He looked at it everyday for hours when he was teaching. He’d get lost in thought as he looked at it, thinking about her. Where she was, what she was doing. If she was okay. The mark in the floor had practically haunted him, leaving him flustered every time.

“I’m gonna—“ she said, standing.

“No, Nina, stay,” Teddy protested. “Really, please.”

She frowned at him, big blue eyes blinking. They were a kind of blue he’d never seen in anyone else. So deep the edges looked purple, like the hyacinths in the greenhouses. She blinked again, slowly, and found her seat.

“I should never have—“ began Nina, just as Teddy said, “Let’s have a do-over.”

“What?” asked Nina, brows knit.

“Let’s have a do-over career evaluation. Right here. So that you’re on track for when you get back to Hogwarts.”

She scoffed. “Teddy, really, I’m not going—“

“You are,” he insisted. “You’re going to go back to Hogwarts, and I don’t want you falling behind. So, Dominique—”

“Don’t call me Dominique,” she groaned.

Teddy laughed. “Alright. So, Nina, what do you want to do after Hogwarts?”

She smiled, but a little sadly, and shrugged. “I don’t know. I didn’t know then, and I certainly don’t know now. I feel like everyone has a plan but me. Iskra wants to be an Auror. Jackson— well, Jackson told me he wanted to be a scholar. Do research about magic and stuff.”

Teddy glowered. “He’s certainly doing research, just not of light magic.”

Nina sighed. “Don’t you ever feel like our parents always had it figured out? Like everything seemed to fall in place for them by the time they were out of Hogwarts?”

Teddy looked away, back to the flame. “I don’t… Nina, my parents are dead.”

She paled immediately. “Oh, Merlin. Teddy, I’m sorry, I didn’t think— I meant Harry and Ginny, you know?”

He waved it off. “It’s fine. I get what you mean, though. But your parents weren’t necessarily like that, were they? Bill bounced around jobs until he settled at the bank. Fleur came to England on a whim, didn’t she?”

Nina furrowed her brows. “I guess you’re right.”

“And,” Teddy continued, thinking back on his own parents. “My father never had a steady job. Werewolf laws, you know. He never got to decide what he wanted to be when he grew up, but he…”

Teddy stopped. He’d almost said that his father turned out alright, but he hadn’t. Teddy’s father ended up dead. Though, as Teddy blinked back the emotion from his eyes, he supposed that his father died just the same as his mother. No matter that his mother was an accomplished Auror, they both ended up dead.

Teddy wasn’t sure what to make of that.

“He was a hero,” said Nina.

Teddy nodded vaguely. That was what he always heard. _Your father was a hero, Teddy_. He didn’t want a hero. He wanted a dad.

He changed the subject.

“I just want you to know that if you want me to act like that kiss never happened, I will. It doesn’t have to change anything between us.”

She pursed her lips, but nodded. Quietly, she said, “It feels like so long ago. I felt awful afterwards.”

Teddy decided against telling her that McGonagall, Neville, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione knew. It felt cruel. Like salt into a wound.

He just shook his head. “Consider it forgotten.”


	19. The Eighteenth Year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nina turn 18 - the celebration does not go as planned.

In the days following the hinkypunk attack, they’d been forced to move slow. Well, to not move at all. Teddy found them a small hiding spot and warded their campsite; it was untraceable and unplottable, and none of his wards were patchy. Not like Nina’s had been.

Nina wasn’t planning to take this long to get to Quigley’s Point. They were two days walk, tops, from getting there, and she itched to figure out what her father had planned for her in Ireland.

She’d wanted to make it to Quigley’s Point by her birthday, but she woke up on February 28th in the same tent she’d spent the past weeks days in, nowhere closer to her goal.

She woke up to a loud cheer of “Happy Birthday” and groaned. She did not feel much like celebrating.

“Get up,” said Blarney. “It’s your birthday.”

She sat up slowly from her sleeping bag. The ground was hard on her back, and her neck was sore from her paper-thin pillow. She rubbed it best she could.

“How do you even know that?”

“Me,” came another voice, from behind the cloth divider. Teddy poked his head into Nina’s makeshift room. “You really didn’t think I’d forget, did you?”

Nina did not even think he knew it in the first place. She didn’t tell him as much.

“We got you a present,” said Blarney, excited.

“You got me a— wait, what time is it?” She scrambled for her wristwatch, but it was not sitting next to her sleeping bag as it usually was. “Blarney!”

The watch gleamed, oversized, on Blarney's wrist. He crossed his arms quickly, tucking the offending wrist under his armpit. “We let you have a lie in.”

“We need to move,” she groaned. “We’ve been here too long.”

“I’m confident in my wards,” said Teddy brightly.

She sat up, glowering. “You’re confident that not even Aunt Hermione could detect your wards?”

He shrugged. “Yeah.”

Nina groaned. “Unbelievable!”

Teddy took a seat on the ground next to Nina’s sleeping bag. He set a croissant down next to her— her present.

“No, you’re unbelievable. We did the right thing. It’s been three days, I’m sure the Ministry has moved through by now. And they’re expecting you to travel at night. Maybe it’s better if we move in the day.”

“Exactly,” said Blarney, “after we celebrate your birthday.”

“Celebrate?” She paused, just as she was about to bite into the croissant.

Teddy shot Blarney a glare. “It was supposed to be a surprise.”

“You _just_ said the Ministry’s after me.”

“Well they certainly won’t expect to find you celebrating your birthday in the Middle-of-Nowhere, Ireland, now will they?”

“Teddy…” Nina sighed. “I don’t know about this. Was this your idea, Blarney?”

Blarney shook his head. “All Eddy.”

“It’s Teddy” said Teddy, rolling his eyes.

“Right. Freddy.”

Teddy shot her an exasperated look, like _will you please control your leprechaun?_ But she had already told him once before: she wasn’t the one who controlled Blarney. She shrugged at Teddy’s pained expression.

“How are we going to disguise ourselves?” she asked instead, looking between her two boys.

“We’ll transfigure your face!” said Teddy brightly. “And we’ll put Blarney in the buggy— I can put a glamour on him so he looks like a toddler.”

“Come on Eddy!” protested Blarney. “Give a man some dignity!”

“And you?” Nina crossed her arms at her former professor.

“Me? Well, they’re not looking for _me_ , are they?”

Nina shot his blue hair a frown, but found herself nodding. “Fine. A few hours.”

Though wouldn’t dare say it out loud, she was really quite pleased Teddy had remembered. She ate her croissant silently.

* * *

Not much later, the boys lead her from their campsite. They came to a clearing. It was not quite a park, though it did have the trappings of something that could be a park. It was past a small hill, behind which was a pond, full of ducks and geese, with a small path around it. Nina shot Teddy a confused look that he did not meet, and she resigned herself to trudging up the small hill after him and Blarney, who Teddy was pushing up the hill in a new, properly transfigured pushchair.

Teddy stopped upon reaching the other end of the hill. He pulled from the buggy a large tartan. Nina tensed for a moment, thinking of that day by the pumpkin patch when she lost to Jackson at wizard’s chess. But that tartan had been blue, and this one was yellow like sunshine. It was so inviting against the bright green of the grass, and Nina found herself trudging towards it.

Besides, she assured herself, this was _Teddy_. Teddy, who would not hurt a fly. He was cut from an entirely different cloth than Jackson.

“Come along then,” he called, squinting from the harsh daylight.

February wasn’t warm by any means, even as it was beginning to melt into March. But it was bright today, and it was a refreshing reprieve from the gloomy winter skies.

“Alright,” said Nina, grinning despite herself.

There was a small picnic spread. A few sandwiches, neatly cut in half, and stored in structured plastic containers, granola bars (as was standard), and a small array of fresh fruit. It was also cut up and stored in plastic, with even more plastic cutlery next to it. And to think, she’d thought the dry, grocery store croissant had been a treat this morning. This was an entirely new level.

“How?” Nina stopped, surveying the spread. It was dismally small, of course, but it was grander than anything they’d seen for days. “We’re almost out of money.”

Muggle money, at least. She barely had fifty euros left on her, but Quigley’s Point was so close now, she couldn’t bring herself to care.

Teddy frowned briefly into the buggy, where Blarney still sat. There was a guilty and conspiratorial look on his face.

“You see—” began Teddy.

“You stole it?” demanded Nina. “Teddy! The last thing we need is to have muggle police after us, too.”

“Nina, I’m sure muggles don’t chase people across the country because they stole ten euros worth of food from the grocery store,” said Teddy reasonably. He frowned. “Besides, you should see yourself.”

She crossed her arms across her chest. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He looked away, back to Blarney for some form of support. “Nothing. Just come on, sit down.”

She bit her cheek, but followed suit. She had an inkling of what Teddy might mean, because he looked thin too. Not too much— he’d only been with them for just over a week— but his cheeks were starting to loose their roundness already.

She was not naive to the way her pants hung looser than ever around her hips, and she could not deny how cold she felt, no matter the weather. She missed the sturdy thickness of her thighs, taught with muscle. But there was no place for vanity at a time like this, even though Teddy’s comment made her stomach clench with insecurity.

 _He means well_ , she reminded herself. It did not help much.

“Can I come out now?” asked Blarney, poking his head out of the buggy.

He looked so much like a toddler than Nina had to keep herself from laughing. He really looked like her little cousin Hugo when he was a baby. Big cheeks, wide blue eyes, a mess of thin, red hair.

It was hard to realize that underneath the cute toddler exterior was a grumpy, old man.

Teddy scanned the perimeter. For such a bright day, there seemed to be few people out in the park. Two elderly men stood feeding ducks at the edge of the pond, but there was nobody else around.

“Sure,” said Nina before Teddy could answer. She was beginning to feel more confident.

Blarney scrambled out of the stroller. “Thank God,” he sighed. “I miss the feeling of ground beneath my feet when I’m in that thing.”

He plopped down next to them. Teddy had dressed him in a pair of dark blue dungarees over a patterned shirt. He was positively adorable.

“That’s not all we got,” said Teddy.

He reached over towards Nina and opened her purse, still fastened to her body. She trapped the air in her throat before she could make a sound. He was so close to her, closer than he’d been to her since they’d kissed, as he gently unzipped the beaded bag.

He stuck his hand into the purse, elbow deep, and Nina kept the breath trapped in her chest. He smelled like sweat and dirt and something indescribably sweet, almost like warm honey. Blarney was wiggling his translucent eyebrows knowingly at her, but she couldn’t even roll her eyes.

It felt like years before he finally pulled back, holding the narrow neck of a bottle of champagne in his hand. He grinned at her. “This, we didn’t steal.”

She looked past Teddy, narrowing her eyes at Blarney. “He’s been a bad influence on you, Teddy.”

“Incredibly good, I think,” countered Blarney. “Even stuffy professors are entitled to a little adventure.”

Teddy reached his hand into the bag again, and grabbed a small sleeve of plastic cups. “We did steal these, though.”

“What would Uncle Harry say?” teased Nina, feeling much more balanced as Teddy distanced himself from her.

Teddy opened his mouth to answer, but shut it promptly. He busied himself with untwisting the gold wire on the outside of the champagne bottle.

Blarney raised his eyebrows. _Interesting,_ he seemed to be communicating to Nina. She responded with the silent pursing of her lips. _Interesting, indeed_.

He poured all three of them champagne. Blarney's cup had been discreetly transfigured into a sippy cup. Nina could see her champagne bubbling pleasantly as light shined through her the plastic.

“To eighteen,” he said.

Nina raised her cup weakly.

“ _Sláinte_ ,” said Blarney, “ _is táinte_.”

They all raised their cups to drink, and Nina couldn’t help but steal a glance at Teddy as he sipped, eyes closed in delight. When the boys both brought their cups down, she finally took her sip.

“Not the best champagne I’ve had,” admitted Teddy.

Nina couldn’t help but agree. “Thanks, anyway,” she said.

She took a bite of honeydew, savoring the freshness and the sweetness.

“You’re welcome,” said Teddy quietly.

She spared him another secret glance later, as he and Blarney got wrapped up in another conversation. He was scowling at something the leprechaun had said, and he flicked a strand of blue hair out of his eyes. His fringe was beginning to grow past his eyebrows.

The words burst out of her before she realized she was going to say them. “Will you please turn your hair brown?”

Teddy stopped mid sentence, shooting her an incredulous look as he touched his overgrown fringe. “What? Why?”

 _Because brown suits you._ She cleared her throat.

“Blue is not the most subtle of colors.”

He smiled before screwing his face up in concentration. “What about this?”

She snorted. His hair was as fiery as her roots. “You really shouldn’t be doing that in public.”

But the two men had since gone, and only the ducks remained quaking in the pond.

“I think it looks great,” said Blarney, who’s hair was exactly the same color.

“Of course you would,” said Nina.

“Or this?” Teddy scrunched his nose, and his hair turned bubblegum pink.

Her face softened. She recognized the color well from old, faded pictures of the Order of the Phoenix. It was the same bubblegum pink of Nymphadora Tonks. “It looks good,” she said softly.

“I’ve always liked this color,” he admitted. A bubblegum pink flush came to his cheeks before he banished it.

“Why don’t you wear it?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know… I guess blue is kind of my default. I don’t think about it; I just wake up with this color.”

She could feel her face harden against her will. It was the blue Victoire requested every day; the blue she thought he would hate; the blue he would never protest.

“Right,” she said. “Well, it’s not subtle enough. It’s going to have to be brown.”

He didn’t have to screw up his face for brown. It looked more like he was relaxing into the color. It came from his roots in a gentle, caramel cascade. He pushed the same offending piece of hair away from his face again.

She looked away quickly, back to the spread of food. “Looks perfect.”

And they carried on; devouring their plastic-wrapped foods and drinking cheap champagne. She ate until she was full, and she did not touch a single blasted granola bar. She was careful not to look at him either. At least, not while he was paying attention.

“So, what’s the plan after this?” asked Blarney, once the food was gone.

“I say we duplicate some of that muggle money and go to the pub in the evening,” said Teddy.

“He’s been a bad influence on you, Teddy,” said Nina again, pointing at Blarney.

“Have not,” protested the leprechaun. “It was all his idea, really.”

She was not sure she believed this.

“Nina,” said Teddy evenly. “One picnic in an empty park is not the same as really having fun. We’ve been hiding for days. And before that, you’ve been walking for weeks.”

“I had fun,” she countered. It wasn’t necessarily a lie, but it wasn’t all that true either.

“Just one night. Then we go straight to Quigley’s Point. No stopping if you don’t want.”

Nina hesitated. A complaint-free journey to Quigley’s Point was tempting. “Do you really think we’ll get away with duplicating muggle money?”

It’d save them a lot of problems if they could. She wish she’d thought of it before she was wandless.

“They don’t have anti-duplication measures on their money like we do. And adding thirty euros into circulation won’t destroy their economy.”

“My Muggle Studies textbook said the euro is fragile.”

Teddy rolled his eyes. “So now you pay attention in Muggle Studies? Come on, Nina. We’re going out.”

* * *

That evening, Nina followed Teddy, begrudgingly, to the pub. Blarney offered to stay behind (“It’s too complicated to hide me anyway”) to Nina’s disappointment. Blarney had given her a conspiratorial look when she left, but she knew he was mistaken. Nothing exciting was going to happen tonight. It wasn’t that she minded being alone with Teddy, it was just… different.

He pushed open the door to the pub. It wasn’t crowded inside, but it was decently full, and two tellies plastered on the walls showed a football game.

“It’s like what you read about in Muggle Studies,” whispered Teddy into her ear.

Two old men, clearly good friends, sat at a table in the corner, laughing away. A few people hung out at the bar, eating something deliciously greasy.

“We’ve been to a dozen pubs just like this,” said Nina with a shake of her head.

“Well yeah,” said Teddy, “but it doesn’t get any less exciting.”

He sat at the bar before Nina could respond, and she stared at the back of his head stupidly. Exciting? Pubs like these were not nearly as exciting as The Leaky Cauldron, which always had interesting witches and wizards stopping through. The Leaky Cauldron had magic coming out of its every corner. This pub had nothing but the smell of old grease and spilled beer.

Teddy promptly ordered two beers and they appeared on the counter almost immediately. Nina sat next to him hesitantly. The crowd cheered as one of the teams scored a goal on the television.

“So. Er. How’s eighteen?” he asked, pushing the beer towards her.

She took a sip. It was nothing like butterbeer, and nothing like she’d tried at home, either. It was rich and creamy, with the heavy taste of wheat only coming at the end. At the beginning, it was almost nutty. Chocolatey, even.

Teddy smiled. “Tastes like chocolate.”

Nina took another sip, feeling more adventurous. “It’s fine. Eighteen feels like seventeen. Except I’m more tired.”

He laughed. “I hate to break it to you, but it feels like that for the next few years, too.”

Most of the time, Nina was not conscious of the age gap between them. She had been when she was young, back when he was he was Teddy Lupin: Quidditch Captain, Head Boy, dreamboat. But she hadn’t been so aware of it lately, and even less since they’d been on the run together.

What had it been? A week? It felt much longer and, somehow, like no time had passed at all.

“Mmm,” was all she said as she took another sip.

A long beat of silence followed, and Nina watched as Teddy grappled with the next thing to say.

She always thought it was charming that he was a little incompetent at things like this. He was so bright in every other way— she knew nobody else who could confidently say that not even Hermione Granger could break through their wards— but so stifled in this one thing.

She especially adored how he stumbled through conversation almost always, except when he was teaching.

“We should work on wandless magic,” she said, throwing him a bone. He perked immediately. “When we get to Quigley’s Point. If I’m going to have to be like this for the foreseeable future…”

“Of course!” said Teddy, excitedly. “You’ve always showed real promise at that.”

“I feel a bit bad about the coffee thing,” she admitted.

He laughed. “It was— well, I found it funny. Of course, I couldn’t say that, I had to be a professional about it all.”

He met her eyes. They were a blistering shade of amber, light with amusement. They lingered on her for a heavy moment until Nina looked away.

That had been the day Jackson asked her to Hogsmeade. Her smile fell.

There were no memories between Nina and Teddy that were truly good. Everything between them had been tainted one way or another. Victoire. Jackson. The stupid kiss. The only memory between them that didn’t bring Nina any grief was the day he put her under the Imperius Curse. And she hadn’t even been _herself_.

She changed the subject swiftly. “What’s your patronus?”

He blinked. “What? Oh. A wolf.”

Nina flushed. _Obviously_. She resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of her nose like her father did. She was even incapable of a normal conversation with Teddy, it seemed.

“You?” he asked, sipping his drink. It was nearly empty now, but Nina’s still had half.

“Don’t have one,” she shrugged. “Only non-corporeal. It was good enough for the OWL, so it’s good enough for me.”

“Really? Seems like your kind of thing. You’re brilliant at Defense.”

She laughed, “I’m definitely _not_ brilliant at Charms, though.”

“We can work on one,” he said confidently. “It’s not so hard, once you get the memory down.”

She nodded, but really, she wasn’t sure the memory was the problem. Her drink was still half-finished, but she shoved her hands in her pockets and dropped to her feet.

“You ready to go?”

His beer was nothing more than a single swallow at the bottom of his glass, but he abandoned it with a shrug. “Sure. You sure you don’t want to stay out? It is your birthday.”

It wasn’t really her _birthday_ without her whole family to celebrate it with. It was the day she was born. She just shrugged back at him. “It’s been a good enough day.”

“If you say so,” said Teddy. They made their way out of the pub.

It was colder than Nina imagined it would be, and she shivered, even underneath her jacket. Teddy noticed at once, offering her his oversized coat.

She looked at him with pursed lips. “Don’t be stupid, Lupin, it’s cold. Keep your jacket.”

“Metamorphagi run hot,” he assured her. “I’ll be fine.”

She knew it was those stupid Hufflepuff qualities in him, not the fact that he was a Metamorphagus, but she accepted the jacket anyway. Over her own coat, it was enough to keep her warm.

“Lupin?” he echoed with a chuckle as they started down the road. “Really?”

She was about to shrug, when she heard the door chime closed behind them. She hurried her walk.

“What?” asked Teddy, looking back over his shoulder. “It’s only those two old blokes.”

“Just hurry along,” she said. “We need to make it back to camp anyway.”

Teddy kept her pace, and when Nina looked back over her shoulder, she saw the two old men following them ambitiously.

“Teddy,” she hissed. “I don’t think those are just two old men.”

He paled, looking back at them. They were jogging now, with more speed than seemed probable for men of their age. Teddy started into a jog, which Nina matched.

“Weren’t there two old men at the park today?” asked Teddy.

Nina groaned as she pictured them in her mind’s eye, feeding the ducks along the pond. “Yes! Damnit, we shouldn’t have gone out.”

“STOP AT ONCE!” One of them bellowed, shooting out a bolt of lavender magic.

Nina squeaked as she dodged it. They were gaining impressive ground; now, Nina could make out the characteristics of their face. The old-man-glamour was wearing off. Underneath, they were in their thirties.

“DOMINIQUE WEASLEY, YOU ARE UNDER ARREST!”

They came to an intersection, where the street the pub was on turned onto the slightly busier main street. A few muggles milled up and down the street, doing last minute shopping.

Teddy looked ready to head down an abandoned street, but Nina grabbed his arm. “This way,” panted Nina, dragging Teddy with her towards the highstreet.

They wouldn’t fire as much magic around the muggles. The chances seemed slim, and yet, they were all she had.

The Aurors followed them onto the high street, and Teddy grabbed Nina’s hand tighter as he lead them through a small crowd of people.

Nestled in the crowd, Teddy pulled Nina into a tight embrace. She was too shocked to move at first. He had his arms around her shoulders, hands in her hair.

It was only when she felt him moving against her, growing, that she realized what was going on. He grew taller and wider, and his shirt braced against his expanding form. The seams popped as he expanded more and more, and she felt the button on his jeans pop off. She looked up at his face, tensed in concentration. His hair turned dirty blonde and grew out slightly. He kept his facial features the same — which was increasingly disturbing — but his body changed entirely. Nina practically disappeared behind his wide frame.

“Out of the way,” snapped one of the Aurors, pushing a local out of the way.

“Bloody Englishmen,” one of them next to Nina muttered, but the Auror did not hear.

Next to the shop where they were stood there was a small, shadowed alley. Her pulse stopped dead. It was their only escape, and yet… She remembered the crunch of her ribs and the phoenix feathers floating in the air. She swallowed hard, willing her heartbeat to jump back into gear.

“Teddy,” she whispered, jerking her head in its direction. He nodded in recognition, and the two of them waddled into the alley.

He pressed her flat against the wall and covered her with his new, expanded frame. Her head lay on his chest, where she was reassured to hear his heartbeat hammering away just like hers.

“Have you seen this girl?” another Auror snapped. Paper rustled, and one of the locals dismissed him. “Damnit,” the Auror growled.

The voice of another joined him. A third Auror that Nina hadn’t seen with them. “If they’ve gotten away, it’s because she’s apparated. We’ll get back and check the apparition records. Who do you think she was with?”

Nina frowned. Where did he come from? There had been two men at the pond. Two men at the bar. But… Aurors always travelled in threes, didn’t they? She was lost.

“Didn’t recognize him,” said the first Auror. “Maybe it’s one of Potter’s guys. Maybe she’s got a boyfriend.”

She heard Teddy’s breath catch in his throat. She felt herself flush, too. _Boyfriend_. As if.

“Let’s go,” said the second, and they disappeared with a crack.

Teddy stepped back. He was already melting back into his normal self. He practically halved in size, and his clothes now drooped even looser off his frame. “ _Mendus_ ,” he mumbled, and the button on his jeans fixed itself.

She stared at him blankly. He’d made himself an entirely different person. She’d never seen magic like that. The final remnants of his disguise left him, and he met her expression solemnly.

“We need to get to Quigley’s Point,” he said. “Tonight.”

* * *

That night, they did not make it all the way to Quigley’s Point. When they finally stopped, unable to walk further, Teddy warded their campsite. But he couldn’t sleep. He could hardly sleep at all these days. The whole week had kept him up, thoughts swarming like a doxy hive.

They were so close to Quigley’s Point now. Nina’s map said it was only another hour walk from here, but Teddy had to put his foot down when he saw her feet dragging in the early hours of the morning. It wasn’t going to help any of them if she was too tired to think straight.

From outside the tent, he could hear Blarney snoring faintly. It was almost reassuring, except it kept him up just as much as his thoughts did.

He should leave. He really should. The week McGonagall gave him was up yesterday. He would be expected back in classes on Monday, and he couldn’t bear the idea of letting his students down. They must have been so confused by his absence. Besides, there were rounds he needed to do. Security was up at Hogwarts since the night Jackson stole the Anamban.

He tried to reassure himself with the fact that Harry didn’t know he was here either. He didn’t have to tell him what Nina had been up to, or where she was headed next because as far as Harry knew, Teddy knew nothing.

He could leave tonight. He didn’t have that many things with him. He could quietly gather them, leave a note, and disapparate. He had done his duty to Victoire; he’d helped out Nina as best he could.

And he had no _real_ obligation to Harry. He hadn’t made Harry any promises. The letter Harry had left on his desk remained unopened, buried now under a pile of papers in his desk.

He sighed. But Nina was wandless, with nobody but a trickster as a companion. None of them knew what was waiting at Quigley’s Point. Nina hadn’t even told Teddy why she needed to go there, but he’d gathered that it was a mystery for her, too.

He had no real obligation to Nina either, did he? But he couldn’t bring himself to leave. She was here, alone, in need of help, and far too proud to ask for it. What sort of teacher would he be if he left a student helpless? What sort of Hufflepuff? What sort of friend?

He’d stay, he decided. Just for a little while longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we're officially past the halfway point of this fic!! our gang is almost to quigley's point, how exciting!!


	20. The Scamander

The Scamanders were waiting on their doorstep when Nina, Blarney and Teddy finally trudged their way up to their cottage. As soon as Nina had woken up, she had them on the road. They made here within an hour and a half.

The Scamander cottage was a solitary building surrounded by a vast expanse of land— most of which was flat— but descended in the distance as the land seemed to melt right into the sea.

“Hello,” said Nina tiredly. “I’m Dominique Weasley. I think you’re expecting me?”

“We’re expecting you,” said a willowy blonde woman, who could only be Luna Scamander. “But not them.”

She pointed a long finger at Teddy, who looked sheepish under her wide-eyed stare, and Blarney, who did not.

“I’m Teddy Lupin,” said he. “I’m with Nina.”

It sent a wave of reassurance through her to hear his words. _I’m with Nina_. She had a team. “Right,” said Nina. “Yes.”

“Same,” said Blarney gruffly.

“Well, come in,” said Mr. Scamander nervously. He stepped out of the way of the door. “Don’t want to linger too long.”

“Hide your gold,” Nina whispered lightly to Mr. Scamander on her way into the house. “You’d think he was a niffler, not a leprechaun.”

His eyes widened for a second, but he nodded quickly. Nina ducked under the door and into their cottage. It was a circular building— large, but not very tall— that was painted robin’s egg blue. Inside, it was no less curious. Trinkets and books lined the walls, and the convex architecture seemed to lure Nina right in.

Two boys, only a bit younger than Nina’s cousin Hugo, halted when Nina and Teddy walked in the room. They were holding what looked like large, fossilized teeth.

“Say hello, boys,” said Mrs. Scamaner airily. “These are our guests!”

“Hello,” they said in a synchronized, disinterested tone.

“That’s Lorcan, and that’s Lysander,” said Mr. Scamander proudly. “Naturalists in the making.”

“I see that,” said Teddy, quirking his head at pair.

One of the two lifted a large fang and brought it down with a roar. The other held a molar like a shield, deflecting the hit with a shriek of laughter.

“Could we get you anything?” asked Mrs. Scamander. “I always find that there’s nothing better than a pot of tea after a long day of travels.”

“That’d be lovely,” said Teddy.

“Showers?” asked Nina. “I’m afraid we haven’t seen civilization in a while.”

“You look as much,” said Mrs. Scamander, not unkindly. “They’re right upstairs, by the bedroom. I only prepared one room, though. Will you all be alright with sharing? We’ve got a couch, if not.”

Mrs. Scamander pointed at a lumpy couch in the center of the room, which was covered in animal hair and feathers.

“Oh,” said Nina taking it in. “Well—“

“We can share,” assured Teddy. “Blarney will take the couch.”

She caught Blarney glower at Teddy in the corner of her vision. She stifled a laugh.

“Better than a tent, at least,” grumbled Blarney.

“Perfect! I’ll get started on the tea. I also have dirigible plum soup, if you’re interested…”

“Sounds delicious,” said Nina.She pointed up the stairs to Teddy. “You can go first.”

“Are you sure?” asked Teddy.

“Yes, of course.”

Nina and Blarney made her way to the kitchen. The countertop curved against the perimeter of the house, and the kitchen appliances— oddly square in contrast— fit unevenly into their slots.

“You took longer than expected to get here,” said Mr. Scamander from the dining table. “I was getting a bit worried. We kept checking the papers…”

Nina took a seat next to him.

“We got a bit holed up in Derry,” she explained. “My wand was broken in a fight. Then, we had a bit of a run-in with a hinkypunk and had to lay low for a few days.”

Mr. Scamander frowned. “A fight?”

“It’s a long story, I’m afraid.” Nina dug around in her pocket for the remains of her wand. She set the broken phoenix feather on the table. “That’s all that’s left.”

“Oh my. I’d hoped it might be something I could fix. I’ve run into a fair few problems with my wand over the years. Have something of a knack for wand repairs, now.”

“I wish,” said Nina darkly. “There’s no saving that.”

Mrs. Scamander approached the phoenix feather with a curious look. “May I?” she asked.

“By all means,” said Nina. It wasn’t like the other woman was going to be able to break it any further.

Mrs. Scamander waved her wand, and two thin, metal wires knotted themselves around the broken ends of Nina’s phoenix feather. The wires curved into a long, fine arch as the feathers shook, bursting into shape as they preened themselves. They were still a little pathetic— large chunks of plumage were missing from each end of the feather— but they looked more lively now.

Mrs. Scamander deposited the two ends into Nina’s hand with a smile. “There,” she said. “Like a phoenix rises from the ashes…”

Nina blinked. The two, mangy ends of her phoenix feather had been transformed into elegant, dangly earrings. Her throat suddenly felt very tight.

“Go on then,” encouraged Mr. Scamander. “Put them on.”

Nina slipped the earrings into her ears. The feather tickled against the side of her neck.

“They’re almost as long as your hair,” said Mr. Scamander. “They look lovely.”

“Thank you,” said Mrs. Scamander proudly.

Nina cracked a grin. “Thank you, Mrs. Scamander.”

“It’s Lovegood,” she corrected dreamily. “But you can call me Luna.”

Luna deposited a cup of tea in front of Nina, and another in front of Blarney. It steamed pleasantly into the air, and Nina felt a strange lurch of nostalgia to see something as simple as a homemade cup of tea.

“Tell us about your travels,” said Mr. Scamander, and Nina, grateful for the distraction, launched into a story that carried on well after her tea had gone cold.

* * *

The Scamanders kept a quiet distance for the majority of the day. Nina showered. She unpacked and repacked her bag. She paced. She played with Lorcan and Lysander. She conferred with Blarney.

They gave her as many cups of tea as she asked for and never complained. Nina was eternally grateful. It wasn’t until the twins had eaten dinner that Mr. Scamander pulled her aside.

He took down the hall, to an office that overlooked the sea. The angular walls were covered entirely in bookshelves, and the one curved, windowed wall that overlooked the sea was decorated in paintings and knickknacks that hung awkwardly, too straight and square for the space.

His desk was situated against the window. He conjured another chair for her to sit down in.

“I have a message for you,” he said. “From your father.”

“Oh,” she said thickly. “Really?”

“He didn’t write it down, I’m sorry… We had a quick Floo conversation. We had to be careful, you know. The Ministry is likely monitoring your family closely.”

“What? Why?”

Mr. Scamander eyed the door, but it was mostly closed anyway. He lowered his voice to a whisper. “They likely suspect you’re being hidden with the Fidelius Charm.”

“But… the Ministry _is_ my family. Auntie Hermione and Uncle Harry wouldn’t suspect my parents of being in on it.”

“No, that’s exactly why they suspect your father. They know he has connections from the war days. Shell Cottage was under a Fidelius Charm during the war. Besides, you know if it was one of Harry or Hermione’s kids, they would have done the same thing.”

Nina couldn’t even imagine Rose getting herself into a situation like this. The Potter kids, maybe. She sighed. “So, how _did_ you get in contact with him then?”

“Coded conversations. Something none of your relatives would understand, of course. Kept our owls discreet, too. We know for a fact all of your family’s letters are being intercepted. The Ministry is confident that you’ll contact your family at some point. They’re just waiting.”

Nina swallowed thickly. She wanted more than anything to read any of her family members’ handwriting again. Or to hear their voices.

“Your father sent me this.”

Mr. Scamander handed Nina a thick envelope. She grabbed it tentatively, opening the unsealed envelope with equal care. A wide stack of notes sat in the envelope.

“Merlin’s beard, that’s—“

“1,500 euros,” finished Mr. Scamander. “I have a portkey ready to go for tomorrow at three pm. I figured you could get some food and sleep in you before you left.”

“A portkey? But where?” All this time, Nina thought Quigley’s Point was the end result.

“Romania,” said Mr. Scamander grimly. “To—“

“Uncle Charlie…” said Nina slowly, piecing it all together. After all, when her father had mentioned Quigley’s Point to her the first time, he had mentioned how both he _and_ Charlie loved the place. How did she not see it sooner?

“That’s where you’ll stay. For however long it takes. Your Uncle Charlie is keen to welcome you. He doesn’t know about the other two, though.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it. Teddy’s not coming with me to Romania.”

He had a life here. He had students that were waiting for him, and Nina would be damned if Iskra didn’t get her Auror apprenticeship because her Defense teacher dipped out seventh year.

Mr. Scamander gave her a long, considering look. “Are you sure about that?”

“Of course, why would he come?” she asked, brows furrowed.

Mr. Scamander hesitated for another beat, before he shook his head. “Nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

Nina scanned his face for any sort of explanation, but his expression was withholding. “Is that all, then? I appreciate massively what you’re doing for me, Mr. Scamander.”

“Please, it’s Rolf. And your father says he loves you. And he believes you.”

Though it was not entirely unexpected, the remark made Nina’s eyes smart. She nodded, blinking quickly to dispel the tears. When she said, “Thank you,” again, she was completely aware of how those words did not mean enough.

* * *

That night, Nina procrastinated going to bed. Even after Blarney nestled in to the feather-covered couch, and the Scamanders all tucked themselves into bed, Nina found herself wandering.

She walked around the perimeter of their property, hood up, staring at the sea before her. It felt as close to home as she had been in weeks. Never mind the physical distance, it was the cold, wet breeze, and the smell of the sea that made her heart clench.

Surely, Mr. Scamander would tell Bill that Nina had been here. That she was okay. Would he say that Blarney was with her? That Teddy was, too?

Nina waited until he was probably asleep before she crept up the stairs and into the bedroom. He was asleep, on his stomach, limbs spread wildly. He was wearing a blue t-shirt Nina recognized vaguely from the Quidditch World Cup.

She’d been in pajamas for ages, so she saved herself the embarrassment of changing while he slept. Instead, she approached the vacant side of the bed. His arm was splayed across the place she should have slept, face towards her pillow.

She tried to push his arm back as gently as she could. He stirred.

“Wazzat?” he mumbled, fumbling for the wand on the nightstand. His hair was partially blue, interspersed with shades of brown, and standing up in a million directions. He looked so much younger without his glasses on. She tried not to smile.

“It’s just me,” she whispered.

He mumbled in vague recognition, eyes still closed.

He twisted onto his side. Nina slid into the bed next to him. He had been right, he did run warm, and the heat of the blankets was comforting against her cool skin. The breeze had knocked the cold right into her bones.

She lay facing the window, eyes wide open. She could hear her heartbeat in the darkness, right alongside his gentle breathing. He had fallen back asleep.

He threw an arm around her, pulling her to him. She almost squeaked in surprise, but silenced herself at once. She tried not to think about how, if he was awake, he would have felt all her ribs underneath his arm.

She was trying not to think about anything, really, but she was especially trying not to think about the gentle thump of his heart, or the feel of his muscles pulling her in.

When she had been procrastinating sleep, she had really been procrastinating this. She didn’t want to lay in bed next to him and hear his steady breath or the rustling of the sheets as he moved. She didn’t want to catch a waft of his warm-honey smell.

“Niiina,” he mumbled.

She froze. “Yes?” she whispered.

“Ninaaa,” was all he muttered in response. He did not move his arm, and Nina’s heartbeat did not slow. Adrenaline kept her up for a while, until eventually her eyelids weighed too much and the world went quiet.


	21. Chapter 21

“Good,” said Rolf, the next morning. “you’re up. I need to talk to all three of you.”

Blarney and Nina exchanged a look— something between nerves and suspicion— and Nina sat down next to Teddy.

Luna had left the room with the boys, ushering them outside to play. Nina could see them through the window, rolling around in the dirt and playing with sticks. She wondered what it would be like to grow up here, in the middle of nowhere surrounded by vast greenery. Shell Cottage reminded her of the grit of sand underneath her feet and the crunch of saltwater in her hair. It was shades of blue and brown. Quigley’s Point was emerald as far as she could see—and mist.

“How much news have you read since you left?” asked Rolf.

“None,” said Nina. “All I know is that I’ve been convicted.”

“Yes… Well, the world has gone a bit mad since then. Teddy, I’m sure you know about the attacks?”

He nodded, a little frazzled to have been put on the spot. “Yes, even before the Anamban went missing, there were attacks across the UK and Ireland… Nothing too intense, of course, but enough to get the Aurors’ attention. Harry said they were related to a set of runes on the front of the Anamban—“

“Don’t tell me about it,” said Nina quickly. “I don’t want to know anything about the Anamban.”

“Surely you must know something,” said Rolf with a frown. “It’s important—“

“The only way I can absolve myself is if they put me under veritaserum and I don’t know anything,” she said with a note of finality.

Rolf nodded slowly. “Okay then, I shan’t tell you anything about it, but you ought to hear about the attacks.”

He waited for her to nod before he carried on.

“At first, they were nothing more than vandalism. A few robberies, but nothing serious. Since the Anamban went missing, it’s been getting crazier. People have been attacked. Businesses have been looted. The rune—“ he stopped himself, looking at Nina, “well, Teddy, you know what I mean.”

Teddy offered a somber nod. Nina shot him a look. How much did he know about this before he came to find her? She was reminded that his mission here was to bring her home. Not to be her partner in crime. The lines were starting to blur more every day, even after a week. Sometimes she couldn’t tell when he was Teddy the Righteous or when he was Teddy the Runaway.

“There’s another thing,” said Rolf. “Teddy knows about this, but house elves have been going missing at Hogwarts.”

Nina’s blood ran cold. “What?”

Rolf wouldn’t meet her eye. “Yes, since you’ve left. They’ve had to transfer most of their house elves to host families in Hogsmeade. Or free them. Only a few loyal servants who wouldn’t leave stayed behind.”

At once, she was brought back to the grave on the hillside back at Shell Cottage. _Here lies Dobby. A free elf._ Nina swallowed.

“And this was in the news?” asked Nina. Her mouth felt very dry.

She couldn’t imagine the stress McGonagall must be under. Or her poor Aunt Hermione and Uncle Harry, who always had soft spots for house elves. Hermione would be going mental; Harry would be livid. They must be after her with even more force now, desperate for a victory.

“Yes.”

“Merlin,” she exhaled.

“Patrols have tripled at Hogwarts,” said Teddy. “They’re doing everything they can to contain it.”

“And everyone is looking for you, Nina,” said Rolf. “From wizards to magical beasts, the whole country is on the lookout. That’s why it’s so important you leave today.”

“Where—“ began Teddy, but Nina cut him off swiftly.

“The sooner the better. I don’t want to put you in danger.”

Rolf dismissed this with a wave. “How many times do I have to tell you? It’s no problem at all. Bill’s my best friend. You’d do anything for your best friend, too, wouldn’t you?”

First, Nina thought of Iskra, but the picture in her mind swiftly changed to Blarney. The thought of it caught her off guard. They’d only known each other for a few weeks, yet Nina found herself connected to the leprechaun in such a profound and inexplicable way. They only ever argued, but they fit together like the severed ends of a two-way mirror.

She found herself nodding. “Of course I would.”

“You leave at three,” Rolf reminded her. “Please, eat some more before you go. Luna’s been packing meals for you.”

“I will. In fact, she’s asked me to help her in the garden.”

“Don’t let me keep you, then.”

Nina rose to her feet, offering a curt nod to all three of the men around her. She left the room, and when she turned the corner, she could have sworn she heard Rolf say, “Take care of that one, Teddy.”

* * *

Teddy had spent the better part of the day trying to track down Nina, but she was like a wisp of smoke. Whenever he looked for her, she was gone. He’d ended up roped into playing pretend with Lorcan and Lysander more times than he could count. The latest rendition included pretending to be a Crumple-Horned Snorkack— whatever that was— while they rode on his back.

“Again!” cried Lorcan in delight, sitting just behind Teddy’s arms.

“Sure,” said Teddy. He scrunched up his face, elongating his back to fit the two boys comfortably. He made his wrists stronger and put feet on his knees. It was an incredibly strange sensation, to feel twenty toes against the earth, but it made it easier to march around.

The boys squealed in delight, and Teddy couldn’t help but smile.

“You need horns,” said Luna airily. “Everyone knows Crumple-Horned Snorkacks have horns.”

“Do you know what they look like?” he asked. He couldn’t imagine what he looked like right now. Probably the stuff of nightmares, but the Scamander children were likely well accustomed to it.

“Lets see some horns, first,” said Luna.

She had her lips pursed in deep thought, and Teddy had a stunning vision of Hermione complaining about Luna’s far-fetched theories about fantastical beasts.

He’d never used his Metamorphagus powers like this before. He knew his mum used to do it. She’d give herself a duck bill or a pig snout to amuse Ginny, but he’d never seen any pictures of it. It was so much harder than human transformations. Though, growing feet onto his kneecaps certainly had been challenging, too.

“Hmm,” said Luna. “What if you just deflated them a little? With a few ridges, spiraling upwards?”

Teddy screwed up his face, imaging them. He must have done something right, because Luna gasped in delight.

“Look boys, those are perfect! Oh Rolf, come and see this!”

Lorcan reached up and touched the horns, tracing the spiraled indent. “What kind of magic are you?”

“Erm, I’m a Metamorphagus.”

“I wanna be a Metamorphagus!” said Lysander, sitting just at Teddy’s waist.

“Me too,” agreed Lorcan.

“Oh, well, you’re born like this. You can’t learn, I’m sorry.”

He heard Lysander grumble. “How come we never get any of the cool magic?”

Teddy flushed in delight. He felt a little stupid, still— even moreso when Rolf and Blarney joined them outside to clap excitedly at Teddy’s horns.

“You know, the horns actually suit you well.”

Teddy scowled. Blarney, who was finally taller than him at this angle, smirked down at Teddy.

“No, really! You should consider making them permanent, Eddy.”

“Mr. Blarney, do you want to join us?” asked Lysander.

Blarney chuckled and, despite his best efforts, Teddy cracked a smile, too.

“Sure, why not?”

Blarney climbed on Teddy’s back with the twins.

“Oh, let me get my camera!” said Luna. “This is so sweet.”

“Go, Teddy, go!” cried Lorcan, and Teddy charged forward again.

He continued towards the menagerie, where a few wild beasts looked at Teddy strangely. He supposed he deserved it, but he was having too much fun to care. He never learned much about his powers. He felt weird asking his Nan about it. Most of the time, learning about his powers gave him a heart-wrenching nostalgia for his mother, even though he hardly knew her. To his delight, he was hardly thinking about her now as he ran around the Scamanders’ yard.

“Oh Merlin almighty,” Nina, who had been walking among the kneazles, looked at Teddy with an amused grin. “Now here’s something I’ve never seen before.”

Teddy almost felt embarrassed that she’d caught him like this, but Luna interrupted before he could say anything.

“Teddy!” said Luna, “turn around, I want to get a picture. Sorry Nina, you can’t be in it. Security reasons, of course.”

If Nina minded, she didn’t say anything. She walked over to the Scamanders, watching Teddy with a cocked head and a wide smile.

Luna snapped the picture. “Alright boys, time to get off the Snorkack. Poor Teddy deserves a break, you’ve been running him ragged.”

The boys groaned, but slid off Teddy’s back nonetheless. Blarney hopped off, still chuckling to himself. Teddy stumbled to his feet, feeling the horns recede into his head and his wrists thin back to their natural state.

“You’ve got something on your knee,” teased Nina.

He looked down. The feet were still there, bulges under his pant legs. “How embarrassing.”

They receded immediately. Nina blinked, fascinated.

“Nina, erm, I’ve been meaning to speak with you. You said we’re leaving at three and—“

“Sorry,” she said flatly, “I told Luna I’d help her bake a pie. I’ll see you later.”

She hurried up the steps, leaving Teddy sighing in the garden. A stray kneazle brushed against his leg, purring loudly. He frowned at it.

He needed to talk to Nina. She hadn’t said anything about where they were going next, and he was growing annoyed. Had he somehow proved untrustworthy in the past twenty-four hours? Never mind saving her life on her birthday. Or any of the other days since he’d joined the two of them in Derry.

Maybe she didn’t want him to come. He could hardly imagine the idea of it, and it stung like a slap across the face when he did.

Worse still, maybe she thought _he_ wouldn’t want to come with her.

Nina had hardly looked at him since the morning. She woke up, burning red, and ducked into the bathroom without saying a word. He didn’t even remember her getting into bed.

Maybe she didn’t know how to say it.

But how could she think he wouldn’t want to come? After these days on the run, seeing her power through every obstacle they had encountered. She couldn’t expect him to leave. To return to Hogwarts and stare at her empty desk in front of him all day. To see Iskra moping through the halls, or to see Louis frown at every mealtime. He couldn’t go back to that without thinking of her in every unoccupied moment. If she was okay. If she’d reached her goal. If she missed him.

She had been a slow-shattering vision this morning. His breath caught when he saw her, brown hair on the pillow like a dark halo. He had flashed back to the night, when their legs brushed slowly against each other’s, and he flushed impossibly dark. He screwed his eyes shut and just like that, the vision shattered. Slowly, and inconveniently late, but it broke apart all the same.

* * *

At 2:55 that afternoon, Rolf and Luna led them past their garden, through the menagerie of wild beasts, beyond a flimsy wooden fence, and out to a small peninsula. From here, Nina could see the lights of Quigley’s Point. She could even hear, faintly, the thrum of cars puttering down the road.

The peninsula jutted out one mile from the rest of the land. It was small enough to go easily overlooked on a map, but large enough to give the Scamanders all the privacy they could need.

“Do you own this, too?” asked Teddy, breathless with awe.

Rolf nodded. “We care for a few water beasts, as well.”

Luna smiled in agreement. “And it’s just lovely for picnics!”

At the end of the green, just where the grass became sand, laid a single boot.

Nina swallowed. “When is it scheduled for?”

Rolf checked his watch. “Three minutes.”

“When is _what_ scheduled for?” asked Teddy, looking between the two of them desperately.

Rolf pursed his lips uncomfortably, and Nina bit her cheek as she pointed to the boot several yards away. She heard him inhale sharply, but she trudged toward the boot before she could see the look on his face. This was where he was leaving her, she was sure of it.

Rolf and Luna stood back. Luna smiled encouragingly, but Rolf gnawed his lip in anticipation.

“A portkey? Are you stupid? The Ministry traces them!” Teddy snapped.

He grabbed her wrist, jerking it back from boot.

“Not the illegal ones,” she said with a huff. “I’m going.”

“Where?”

“I can’t tell you that.”

“Well why not?” he roared. The impatience was out of character for him, and Nina blinked in surprise. “I followed you to the ends of the bloody Earth! You might as well tell me where we’re going!”

“We?” she echoed.

He faltered. “Why shouldn’t it be ‘we’?”

The time before the portkey left was running out, and Rolf waved his hands urgently to signal her. Nina crouched on the ground, placing three solid fingers on the toe of the shoe. Blarney followed suit.

“Now’s your chance to leave, Teddy.” She said quickly. “Go back to Hogwarts. It’s where you belong.”

He seemed lost for words, brows furrowed in something like confusion or anger.

“Five seconds!” shouted Rolf from the distance.

“Thank you for everything,” she said. And she meant it.

She braced herself for the familiar snap of disappearing into thin air, but even more, she braced herself for pain of realizing when she left the portkey, it would be like it was before. Just her and Blarney and the vast loneliness of the outdoors.

It had been nice to entertain this naive idea that she would one day be free. That she could escape this, and that Teddy might be at her side when she did it. But the truth was she wasn’t getting out of this. This portkey was her chance to escape. To have a new life. She couldn’t ask Teddy to commit to that with her.

She squeezed her eyes shut as Rolf’s countdown came to an end. The air cracked and turned and jolted, and when Nina finally let go of the portkey, she did her best to let go of Teddy, too.


	22. Alan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was hard to spot at first— green against the unrelenting green of the forest— but obvious when he’d finally registered it. A long tail flickered in front of them.

Teddy heard his head hit the ground before he realized anything else. For a moment, there hadn’t been anything else. There was only a flash of bright against the darkness of his vision. A lurching sensation in his stomach crept up to his throat, but disappeared into the air.

He rolled to his side, extending a hand sideways for his wand. He scraped the ground for it. _Grass_ , he recognized faintly.

It was like turning a key. Suddenly, the other sensations came rushing back into his mind. Sweet grass, the distant smoke of a campfire. Teddy groaned, rolling to his side.

When he tried to open his eyes, they resisted. He fought them open, taking in the green of the grass. He took a steadying breath. He’d never been on a portkey like _that_ before.

Though, that was probably his fault. It all came back to him: Mr. Scamander’s countdown; the determined set of Nina’s jaw. Teddy had leapt, desperately, at the portkey, just as the air began to shift around it.

He found his wand in the grass. He clutched onto it tightly. _It’s just like a bad apparation_ , he told himself. It seemed to do the trick. The wobbling of his vision dulled, leaving him a bit dizzy but able to climb to his feet.

“Nina?” he called. It felt like shouting into a green void, and he waited impatiently for his vision to stabilize further.

“Shh,” came her voice, cold with fear. She grabbed his wrist. The contact was enough to ground him; everything snapped into focus.

He held back a cough as the last of the dizziness left his system. “Where are we?” he whispered.

“In theory, my Uncle Charlie’s house,” said Nina, still tense.

He shot her a frown, and it only deepened as he caught Blarney just as tense, staring in the distance. He stood frozen still like a garden gnome. Teddy looked towards the source of their anxiety, and found himself just as rooted to the ground.

It was hard to spot at first— green against the unrelenting green of the forest— but obvious when he’d finally registered it. A long tail flickered in front of them.

“Is that a…?” Teddy managed.

“Dragon,” confirmed Nina. She tightened her grasp on Teddy’s hand, and he squeezed back reassuringly.

Teddy took a step backwards, tugging Nina’s arm. She caught his drift, and they started in the opposite direction, never removing their eyes from the beast on the other end of the clearing. They stopped abruptly when Teddy’s back hit a tree.

“What do we do?” hissed Nina. “You’re the professor, you ought to know.”

Teddy was coming up blank. His Care N.E.W.T had gone over them briefly, but that was six years ago now. “Uh, um— hide?”

They receded further into the treelike, each finding a thick tree to hide behind. He wondered vaguely if dragons had heat-tracking vision. Had it been on the N.E.W.T? He couldn’t remember. He certainly hoped they didn’t, because if they did, one turn of that dragon’s head would reveal three bodies, bright red and ripe for consumption.

“I always thought your dad was joking when he said Charlie kept them as pets,” hissed Teddy.

“Yeah, well, me too,” said Nina, just as quiet and harsh.

The dragon’s tail flicked faster, generating a fair bit of wind in the field. The beast rose to its back haunches like it was poised for attack. Teddy gripped tighter onto the tree; the bark left small lacerations on his fingertips, but the pain wasn’t enough to distract him from the scene in front of him.

 _If I die here_ , he thought meekly, _at least it’s an interesting death_.

The dragon jumped and rolled onto its side, tail still wagging. Teddy spotted a flash of familiar red in the distance. His heart nearly stopped. “What in Merlin’s name?”

“It’s Uncle Charlie,” said Nina, a little amazed.

Teddy squinted into the distance. He recognized the frame of the man now, from pictures and occasional meetings. He’d only ever seen Charlie Weasley once or twice in his whole life, and only ever at Burrow gatherings. But he was recognizable— long red hair, strapping shoulders, and all leather attire.

Teddy wasn’t sure whether or not to be fascinated or afraid as he watched the man jump onto the dragon’s neck and rub his knuckles on its skull. Charlie’s laughter carried across the entire clearing. A noogie. Charlie had given the dragon a noogie.

Teddy was sure that was the end of Charlie Weasley, but the man slid off the dragon’s neck with ease. He started towards the middle of the clearing, where the portkey lay discarded.

He came into focus; tall and strapping, despite the white beginning to take hold in his hair. He looked younger than Teddy had imagined. He must have been fifty, but he carried himself with the bold yet lithe movements of a much younger man.

“What’s this?” Charlie asked the dragon, waving the boot like a chew toy. “Is this a portkey?”

Teddy blinked in shock as the dragon panted, slamming its tail against the ground like an energetic puppy. A long string of slobber slid of its tongue, hitting Charlie’s shoe and drenching him up to his knee. Charlie seemed unfazed. He rubbed the dragon’s snout lovingly.

“Who’s a good boy?” he asked.

The dragon pushed his snout up against him, sending him flying to the ground. Teddy winced, but Charlie bellowed another great laugh.

“Alright, alright,” Charlie put his hands up. “We gotta find that girl now. She must have caught wind of you and ran for the hills. Because you’re the most wild beast there is, aren’t you?”

So energetic, Teddy was sure the dragon would knock down a tree it was wagging its tail so hard. He was confused; dragons like this had never come up on the N.E.W.T.

“Nina?” called Charlie. His voice carried expertly through the forest.

Nina shot Teddy a look, bug eyed and concerned, but Teddy could only shrug back a helpless, silent response. She took a short breath and came out from behind the tree.

“Here,” she squeaked.

Charlie grinned. “Welcome kiddo! Sorry about Alan, here.” He jerked his thumb to the dragon behind him, who panted happily at the sound of his name.

“Alan?” echoed Nina vacantly.

Charlie continued on as if Nina hadn’t spoken. “Is that Teddy Lupin I see trembling in the thicket?”

Teddy stepped forward, feeling his lips turn in a frown. “I wasn’t _trembling_.”

Nina bit back a smile. His frown melted away.

“It’s all right. Alan wasn’t supposed to leave his area. There’s supposed to be a ward here that they can’t get past, but sometimes it fails,” admitted Charlie sheepishly. “Charms were never my strong suit.”

“Ah,” said Teddy, feeling not at all reassured.

“And who’s this?” asked Charlie, pointing past both of them to Blarney.

Blarney inched forward, looking even less calm that Teddy. He introduced himself quietly.

“Pleasure to meet you,” said Charlie brightly. “Nina, I was expecting you to come alone, but I guess the more the merrier.”

Nina eyed the two of them, but her eyes lingered on Teddy for a moment. He swallowed, realizing that Nina had said her goodbyes at Quigley’s Point. She didn’t think he’d be coming. She didn’t know why he was here. Honestly, Teddy was looking for his answers to the same question.

When the portkey had started to glow, Teddy had felt his heart catch in his throat. The way he bounded towards that boot had been entirely instinctual; his rational mind had played no part in that decision. But if he took inventory of the choice he’d made -- if he weighed out the rational pros and cons of it, he couldn’t help but feel like he would have made this choice every time.

Charlie chucked the boot to Alan, who caught it in his mouth and swallowed it whole.

“Call it disposing of the evidence,” said Charlie. “Come along!”

* * *

Charlie led them through a path in the woods, down a steep slope to a plateau, where a row of huts formed an arc around a large firepit and some picnic tables. One hut, the largest of them all, was more isolated than the others. It sat a bit askew on the more uneven terrain.

“That one’s mine,” said Charlie, pointing at the solitary hut. “I’m in charge of this branch of the Sanctuary, so I get a bit more privacy.”

“In charge of all this?” asked Nina. “I didn’t know that! Surely Dad would have mentioned it.”

She looked a little more wide-eyed and excited than Teddy did. At least, certainly more than he felt. Blarney looked just about the same as Teddy, hanging close by him.

“Ach, I’ve been in charge of this place for ages now,” said Charlie with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Since before you were born.”

“Oh. Wow.”

“Do they interest you? Dragons, I mean?”

Teddy couldn’t see the look on her face (and he certainly couldn’t imagine it) as she said, “Honestly, yeah. They’re a bit thrilling, aren’t they?”

Thrilling? Teddy did not feel particularly excited by escape-artist Welsh Greens. Teddy made a mental note to help Charlie with the wards.

“Well, here we are,” said Charlie.

They came to a stop in front of Charlie’s hut. From the outside, it looked about the size of Hagrid’s hut. Tall and spacious— for one person, at least. For the four of them, it looked like it would be a far tighter squeeze.

It was a little bigger on the inside. The door pushed open into a small seating area, attached to an open-concept kitchen.

“I’ve been secretly building another bedroom for Nina, but I’m afraid that won’t be enough now.”

Charlie lead them down the hallway to a narrow door. Outwardly, it appeared to be nothing more than a narrow linen closet, but when he pushed open the door, it opened into a small, blue bedroom with a double bed and a wardrobe.

“My room’s just there,” he pointed to the door across the hall, “and the bathroom’s just across. Teddy, are you any good at construction magic?”

“I could give it a go,” he offered. It wasn’t something they ever studied at Hogwarts, but if Teddy read a book or two about it, he was sure he’d be able to stumble his way through.

Charlie grinned. “Good lad. In the meantime, I’ll transfigure the couch into a bed for you. Blarney, what sort of sleeping accommodations do you like best?”

“You can sleep in the buggy!” said Nina with a grin. 

He looked ready to scowl, but he held it back. “It will do.”

Nina reached into her purse, elbow deep, until she pulled out a miniaturized version of the buggy. She set it on the ground, and Teddy finished the rest.

“ _Engorgio_.” The buggy grew to its normal size. Teddy had half a mind to turn it into a bassinet.

“That’s so clever! How did you— oh…” Charlie looked between Nina and the bag. “Hermione won’t be pleased about that one, will she?”

“I think she’s got bigger things on her plate,” said Nina grimly.

Charlie nodded, just as grim. “I suppose she does.”

“Do the other dragonologists know we’re here?” asked Teddy suddenly, thinking back to the horseshoe of cabins surrounding the fire pit.

“They don’t, but if they ask, I’ll tell them you’re my niece and nephew. And if they ask too many questions, I’ll obliviate them. It’s for their own safety, too.”

Nina looked a little paler at that.

“Well. Welcome. We’ll eat at seven, if that’s alright with you?”

Teddy’s stomach rumbled at the thought. He nodded.


	23. The Sanctuary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now safely in Romania, the gang adjusts to this new way of life not on the run.

Nina woke up to someone knocking on her door.

“Yeah,” she mumbled, rubbing her eyes. She had been expecting Blarney, so when the door swung open on Uncle Charlie, Nina blinked in surprise. “Oh,” she said. “Good morning Uncle Charlie.”

“Get dressed,” he whispered, eyes twinkling. “Do you want to meet the dragons?”

“Yes!” said Nina immediately, straightening up in bed.

For the week and a half they’d been at the Sanctuary, Nina had been angling to see the dragons again. They’d met the first day— entirely on accident— and it was like something had unlocked inside her. They were all she could think about, and everyday when Charlie came home, she demanded all the details of his day at work.

Uncle Charlie grinned and promptly closed her door. She scrambled to her feet at once, tugging on her jeans and her clunky boots, throwing on the heavy jacket she’d brought with her. It was not a new outfit— she’d probably worn it most days so far— but it did the job. Even if the knees of her favorite jeans had busted open.

“Ready,” she said, rushing into the kitchen and living room area.

It smelled like coffee and bacon and Nina smiled. Real food. Charlie slid a plate her way. A single scrambled egg and a few rashes of bacon. He knew that was all she could handle anyway; her stomach was much smaller than it had been a few months ago.

Ordinarily, she would have eaten quickly, eager to get out and go, but Uncle Charlie had really been on her case about that since she arrived in Romania.

“You’ll make yourself sick,” he would say with the patience of a father. Nina would scowl, but slow down.

Nina had scarcely seen Uncle Charlie in her childhood years, and more infrequently still in her adolescence. She knew, secondhand, of Uncle Charlie’s personality and his accomplishments. She knew that he was — annoyingly — also Head Boy at his time at Hogwarts. Nina really never could escape the tall legacies of her relatives, even while hiding away in Romania.

Her father had told her lots about Charlie. He implied, never in explicit terms, that Charlie was his favorite brother. That they had forged a bond so special and unique that he and Fleur had a week long argument about naming her brother Charles instead. Clearly, he had lost that battle.

Over the years, Nina gathered that it was Uncle Charlie who was unfailingly kind to Uncle Percy, even when nobody else could stand him. Charlie, who had a sense of camaraderie with the two tricksters of the family: Uncle George and his twin Fred, who Nina never heard too much about. It was Charlie who taught Uncle Ron how to ride a broom, even when the twins were pelting bludgers at them the whole time. Charlie, who, like all his brothers, was fiercely protective of Aunt Ginny.

Nina had been dropped in a household with this mysterious Uncle, knowing little about him first-hand but feeling obligated to love him anyway.

It was an obligation she found easy to meet. He reminded her a lot of her father, except his eyes twinkled more with mischief. And while Bill had three, gnarly scars on his face, Uncle Charlie had long scars that began at his knuckles and continued to his elbows, licking flame up his arms even when there was no fire around.

Charlie was cool. Nina felt a little cooler for being around him.

She ate her meal appropriately slowly, and when Uncle Charlie was satisfied with the amount she had eaten, they began the steep climb into the belly of the Sanctuary.

* * *

The Sanctuary was not too far from the camp. The hill on which Charlie’s hut sat continued further up in a steep incline. Nina recognized the path she’d taken a few days ago, when she first arrived to Romania. They passed through the same wood and up further still, passing a jagged rock formation until they made their way into another clearing.

“This is where the wards start,” explained Uncle Charlie. “They continue for quite a while. Dragons don’t do well with confinement. We try to give them as much space as possible.”

Nina nodded, surveying the upwards expanse of forest. “How many dragons do you have?”

“Four.” Uncle Charlie practically beamed. “You met one the other day. Alan.”

Nina grinned, thinking back to the portkey flying straight into the dragon’s smiling mouth.

“Alan’s a bit special,” said Uncle Charlie. “I’m sure you noticed.”

She nodded. “He seemed friendly.”

Charlie hesitated. “He is, usually. He was hit with a really powerful Confundus Charm when he was hatched. A dragon breeder tried to keep him as a pet, but…”

Nina frowned. What sort of idiot tried to keep a dragon as a pet? She imagined a freshly hatched baby dragon, squeaking out sparks, hit with a charm that knocked it sideways.

“We rescued him, in the end. He killed his breeder.” He gave her a wide-eyed look. “Does that frighten you? I’d understand if you didn’t want to continue.”

She couldn’t deny the gentle increase in her heartbeat’s tempo, but she stuck out her chin. “The breeder got what he deserved.”

The anxiety melted from Uncle Charlie’s face. “I’ll take you to Alan, if you like.”

But Charlie didn’t have to put in the effort, as Nina felt a great gust of air push her around. She took a steadying step backwards.

Alan hovered in the air in front of them. It took her breath away to see him up close. His scales were green like grass and iridescent in the light, reflecting shades of blue and turquoise. He hardly seemed real. But their eyes met, and Alan seemed to smile. After a few powerful flaps of his wings, he hit the ground.

“Is Alan your favorite?” asked Nina.

She hadn’t stepped any closer, but Charlie had. He stroked the dragon’s snout lovingly. He looked back at her, aghast. “That’s like if I asked Bill who _he_ preferred.”

Nina, biting back a laugh, nodded solemnly. “Sorry, sorry.”

“I love Alan, of course.” Charlie said this as he rubbed Alan’s snout. “But I’ve always been partial to Norberta. And Elizabeth. And, come to think of it, Felicity.”

“You have a dragon named Elizabeth?” Nina thought faintly of the queen on the face of her muggle money.

“Of course. Elizabeth and Felicity are both Romanian Longhorns. Oh, I don’t know if I’ll take you to see them, they’re a bit territorial…” Charlie muttered this last bit to himself before continuing brightly. “Norberta came from Hogwarts, actually. She’s a Norwegian Ridgeback. Dead friendly if she’s not hungry.”

She decided to gloss over the details of Norberta’s hatching— it seemed a rather long story, and she’d prefer to hear it over a campfire rather than here, a few feet from a living, breathing beast.

“And Alan is the only male?”

“Ah, yes. This side of the mountain cares for a few female dragons. There’s more across the range. But they’re in a different branch of the Sanctuary than us. And the other side of this mountain has the males. We keep them separated for,” Charlie turned pink, “population control reasons… But Alan’s a special case. Requires more intensive care, and he does better around the girls. I reckon he feels more protected.”

Nina took a small, careful step closer. “Are the males more dangerous?”

“ _Psh_ ,” scoffed Charlie. “No, the girls are by far. But they’re less social than the boys. The boys are always fighting. Our ladies have a bit of decorum.”

He beamed like a proud father.

“Come on then,” he said, motioning for Nina to come closer. “You’re safe if I’m around.”

Nina took a few steps to close the gap. Her heart was pounding out of her chest. Alan could surely hear it. She wondered if that made it better or worse. Were dragons like hippogriffs? Would Alan be pleased to know she feared him? Or would the speed of the blood moving through her body make her seem even more delicious?

She swallowed hard and stuck out a tentative hand. She was sure to stick out her left, just in case she never got it back.

Alan leaned in and bumped her hand with his snout, and the fear disappeared at once. The scales felt smooth against her fingers. Like sea glass. She gave him a more ambitious pet, running her hand farther up his snout, closer to his big, green eyes.

He panted, tongue flopping out gleefully.

“I think he likes you,” said Charlie. “You know, some dragons get so close to their carers, that they form a bond. There’s been stories of old battles where dragons slay entire armies to keep their carer safe.”

Nina didn’t take her eyes off Alan for a second. She didn’t dare. Not out fear, or fascination, but an odd sort of camaraderie.

“Hi,” breathed Nina, looking the beast dead in the eyes.

Alan licked her whole face, knocking her to the ground with his force. Charlie made a nervous noise and came to give her a hand, but Nina sprang to her feet with a grin. She was soaked in dragon spit, but she had never felt happier.

* * *

The days continued in a similar fashion. Before sunup, Uncle Charlie would knock at Nina’s door, and they’d scurry up the hill together to the Sanctuary.

Despite Uncle Charlie’s initial concern, Nina did end up meeting Elizabeth and Felicity, two proud and territorial Romanian Longhorns. They accepted Nina’s presence, begrudgingly, but Nina did not spent a lot of time with them.

Norberta and Charlie had a particular bond, which had fascinated Nina endlessly. It must have been like what Charlie had described to her a two weeks before; the special dragon-carer bond. They were even closer than Charlie and Alan, who Nina thought resembled a dog-owner and a puppy. Norberta and Charlie didn’t act like that. They were more like old friends.

Most days, Nina found herself sitting at the base of a tree, watching Alan go about his day. Sometimes, Alan would stare back. She might narrate to him her thoughts or ask him questions he wouldn’t be able to answer. It didn’t quite matter; she found his company as easy as she found Blarney’s or Iskra’s.

Charlie appeared at her side. “Do you want to help feed him?”

Nina broke away from watching Alan preen his scales to blink at her uncle. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? I haven’t a wand.”

“You’re feeding him, not practicing Charms with him,” said Charlie with a laugh.

He had a fully grown sheep in one arm, shaved all the way down. Dead, it’s tongue rolled out of its mouth lazily. It was unbecoming sight, and Nina found herself looking away to Alan, who was licking his chops.

“But isn’t it dangerous?”

“Come on,” he used his spare hand to offer her help up. “I’ll show you.”

Alan was sitting patiently as Charlie and Nina approached him. She still had a spot of trepidation, but she did her best not to show it. She put her boldest foot forward.

Charlie came to his knee as he dropped the sheep between him and Alan. “On your knees, kiddo,” he said.

Nina promptly took a knee. Alan was evaluating them the same way hippogriffs did: head cocked, contemplative.

“All creatures want respect. Dragons are wicked smart. They would never stand for confinement or abuse. Not like how Alan was brought up.”

The dragon bowed his head in response, just enough to give a sign of acceptance. Charlie stood and backed away, Nina close behind.

“They allow us to confine them. It’s not the other way around, and don’t ever forget it. They are more than powerful enough to rip through every ward we have and kill all of us. They choose not to because we respect them. We give them what they need— food, water, space. Company, if they want it. Most dragons don’t. Bottom line— don’t ever treat them like they’re just silly animals.”

Nina nodded. “But, Alan’s not like other dragons, is he? He got hit with that Confundus Charm.”

“That’s true,” allowed Charlie. “Alan’s tricky. His instinct is in conflict with his mind. He’s mostly dragon— like what you just saw. He gets more and more like a normal Welsh Green every day. But the Confundus Charm makes him think he’s like a puppy sometimes. He’s playful. He trusts people. But when his dragon nature kicks back in, he doesn’t know how to handle it. He lashes out. That’s why he’s better off with the ladies, like I told you. He feels protected around them, and if he ever did lash out, they wouldn’t stand for it at all.”

“Has he ever lashed out at you?”

She ought to have been more nervous, but she couldn’t quite manage it. She’d spent days here, watching him and existing in his space. If he was going to lash out at her, he’d had all the reason in the world to do it by now.

“Ach, once or twice. But everyone lashes out every once in a while, don’t they?”

Nina flushed. She probably lashed out more than every once in a while. Not for the first time, she felt like she and Alan had a lot more in common than what met the eye.

The sheep was long gone. Alan had swallowed it in one bite, and was looking thankfully at Uncle Charlie.

“Would you like to ride him?” asked Charlie.

Her eyes bugged. “I didn’t think you could _ride_ dragons.”

“I mean, you can if they let you,” he said, laughing lightly. “And Alan likes you.”

“I don’t know…” she said. Alan was smiling at her, tongue out and panting happily.

“Come on! I’ll come with you.”

She looked over at her uncle, who was beaming at her. He looked so proud of her. She managed a nod, secretly quite excited now.

“Alright, why not?”

Charlie approached Alan’s side. There was no saddle or reins, but the horns at the top of Alan’s head extended back far enough that she might be able to grab hold of them when they took flight. He took a knee again, and Nina stood on it, boosting herself onto Alan’s neck.

The dip in his neck, just above his wing joint, was tight enough for one person to ride comfortably. But when Uncle Charlie boosted himself onto Alan behind her, the two of them fit the dip perfectly. Even without any way to fasten herself, she felt secure.

“Go on, grab his horns,” said Charlie encouragingly.

Nina grabbed on, briefly reminded of Lorcan playing with Teddy at Quigley’s Point. Alan’s horns were coarser than his scales had been, marked with vertical ridges that continued from the base of his horns to their fine points.

“Let’s go, Al,” called Charlie, smacking the dragon twice on its side.

Alan let out an eager pant and began to flap his wings. Nina’s hair rose and fell with the gusts of wind. He took off running, wings extended to catch air. And suddenly, they were off.

Alan took flight messily, each wing pushing them farther upwards like the clumsy rows of a novice canoeist. They cleared the treetops without much effort, and Nina erupted into laughter as, before she knew it, they had gathered so much height that the huts at the camp looked like nothing more than pebbles in the dirt.

Uncle Charlie let a whoop of joy, lifting his hands from Nina’s waist to punch them into the air.

“Be careful!” protested Nina loudly.

“Try it!”

If she could have turned to give him a look of utter disbelief, she would have. She’d been gripping onto Alan’s horns so tightly, she was worried she might be hurting him.

“Come on Nina,” teased Uncle Charlie, “you’re a Gryffindor, aren’t you?”

Nina thought things like this were precisely the reason her house had a reputation for being a little bit stupid, but she obliged, too proud to keep resisting. She lifted her hands one at a time.

Alan leaned slightly into the wind, catching a gust under his wings that made them feel like they were skating on ice. The wind caught under her arms, and she gasped. She lifted slightly from Alan’s back, but she clamped her knees in tighter at his sides to keep from sliding. With the wind under her arms, she felt like _she_ was the one who was flying. Not Alan, not a broomstick— her, with the wind in her hair and arms extended as wide as she could get them.

“Merlin almighty,” she said, but her voice was lost to the whipping of air around her.

Behind her, Charlie put his arms down and reached for the horns. They began a gradual descent, and Nina yelped as she slid around on Alan’s back. She grabbed the horns quickly, but flinched as she scraped her palm against the pointed end of his left horn.

The descent was far prettier that the ascent. She was in awe, not afraid, as they swooped over the Sanctuary. Elizabeth and Felicity laid basking in the sun; Norberta preened her scales with dignity by a pond. And further down the hill, Nina saw a bright blue dot standing outside Charlie’s hut, looking directly up at her. There was another dot next to him, far smaller, with arms waving wildly.

“Fly above your hut, Uncle Charlie!”

Charlie obliged without thought, pushing Alan’s horns just so. They flew lower, in an arc above the semicircle of huts. The two dots came bigger into focus. She could see a dumbfounded look on Teddy’s face from here, and Blarney smiling wider than she’d ever seen him smile before.

Alan swooped so low that the wind pushed Teddy’s hair back. She caught it bleeding brown before they turned sharply, back in the air towards Alan’s zone.

“That was _fantastic_ ,” panted Nina once they landed, somehow breathless despite the abundance of air around her.

“You did better than I thought you would,” admitted Charlie. “You’re a natural.”

Nina looked past Charlie to Alan, green-scaled and smiling. “It was all Alan.”

Charlie’s features softened. “ _That’s_ why you’d make a great dragonologist, Nina.”

For the first time in her life, she realized that was something she’d like the sound of. Not Dominique Weasley: daughter, sister, convict, runaway, failure. But, Nina Weasley, _dragonologist_. 


	24. Romanian Wood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teddy's not out riding dragons, he's inside managing a belligerent leprechaun.

The days turned into weeks, and slowly the weather in Romania made a turn for the warmer. Sometimes it was hard to imagine that much time had passed at all, but when the flowers suddenly started to bloom in the forest separating the campsite from the Sanctuary, Teddy could not deny the passage of time.

Everyday, Nina would disappear before the sun rose with Charlie. Teddy would wake up in the living room with only Blarney as company. He puttered around the hut, reading the few books Charlie kept in his collection.

He was practically an expert at construction magic now.

If Teddy didn’t know any better, he would say Nina was developing a keen interest in dragonology. She seemed to take every opportunity to get up the mountain and far from him. Every afternoon, she’d return with Charlie, scorched and smelling strongly of dragon’s drool but grinning like a maniac.

He, Teddy, was trying to shove down the immature twinge in his gut. It was starting to feel alarmingly like jealousy, and he knew he had no reason to feel like that way at all. It shouldn’t have mattered to him if Nina preferred dragonology over Defense. It was just a study. And why shouldn’t she find something that genuinely interested her? At her career evaluation — both of them — she’d seemed so uncertain about her life beyond Hogwarts.

He gnawed on his cheek. If she wanted to live her life in these mountains wrestling category XXXXX beasts, there was simply nothing he could do about it.

Blarney (who was only a category XXX beast, despite Teddy’s growing skepticism that this was a misclassification) had not been the best company. He had grown more withdrawn and quiet since their arrival to Romania. Teddy had been trying to do research about leprechauns, but Charlie’s magical beasts books didn’t have much information on the species besides what Teddy already knew. They said little more than “leprechauns inhabit Ireland.” He thought that was rather obvious.

From outside, he heard a crack. He perked. The door swung open, and Nina and Charlie marched in, windswept and ravenous. Ever since he saw Nina and Charlie flying the first time, they’d been doing it progressively more often. The twinge of jealousy threatened him again, and he imagined stomping it down with Nina’s clunky black boots.

“Lunch time,” said Charlie with a clap. “What are we in the mood for, lads?”

“Not hungry,” said Blarney from the buggy. He had complained about it at the beginning, but he hardly seemed to get out of the pushchair these days. He was tucked up in a scarf of Nina’s, visor pulled over him.

Nina shot Teddy an inquisitive look. He shrugged. He and Blarney were not exactly conversational— the leprechaun still called him Eddy, even though they’d been together for well over a month. Really, as Teddy thought about it, it was more like two.

“I’d quite like a toastie,” said Nina slowly as she pulled her eyes from the buggy.

“Alright, toasties, with a nice side salad?”

“Sounds great,” said Nina.

Charlie brightened. “Alright. I’ll get cooking.”

“Charlie, you know we can cook our own food,” said Teddy.

“But I like doing it,” said Charlie eagerly. “Cooking and dragon taming aren’t so different.”

Teddy exchanged a confused look with Nina, who looked more amused than anything else.

“Nina, now that you’re here, I was thinking we could start working on your legal strategy? I’ve been working on it a bit, but I need some help from you…”

Her face hardened. “Are you really still on that?”

He felt himself sigh against his will. Charlie began to whistle from the kitchen, clearly in earshot, but doing his best to ignore them talking.

“Yes,” insisted Teddy. “It’s important. Look, I’m not asking you to come home just now. I just want to know what happened. The whole story, so that I can help.”

“You already have helped. More than I could ask for, really.”

“Please, Nina?”

She sighed, casting a longing glance at the toastie Charlie was making. “Fine. But after lunch.”

* * *

True to her word, Nina lead Teddy into her room after lunch, shutting the door promptly behind her.

“I don’t want Uncle Charlie hearing,” she said with a flush. “I don’t want him to think any less of me.”

“I’m sure he wouldn’t.”

She looked unconvinced. “Still.”

He couldn’t understand how anything Charlie was teaching her was more exciting than what _he_ had taught her. They’d studied all sorts of magic in his class. They’d done dueling and studied Unforgiveables. Teddy taught the _cool_ class. Suddenly, he was feeling like he taught Herbology instead.

She took a seat on her bed. Hesitantly, he took a seat next to her.

“Alright, what do you want to know? You know about the three tests. And the essay. That’s pretty much all there is to it.”

“I doubt that,” said Teddy, frowning. “Think back on to all the moments you spent with him. Did anything stick out to you as strange then, before you knew?”

She looked contemplative, brow furrowed. He used to think she looked like Victoire when she did that, but he could see now that it wasn’t the case. Nina furrowed her brows with far more gusto. Victoire furrowed her brows with delicate precision, no matter the emotion. He supposed that was the Veela in her more than anything else.

Nina didn’t seem to have as much Veela in her. Even though she shared the same mother as her siblings, when Teddy looked at her, all he saw was Nina. There was hardly a trace of Delacour in her. She was freckles and a sunburned nose, while Victoire and Louis had skin like ivory.

“We went on a date in Hogsmeade once, and he jinxed a third year,” she said finally.

Something like anger began to bubble up in Teddy. “What?”

“The third year was making a huge mess and being really rude, and Jackson hit him with _Talantallegra_. He didn’t stop until the third year was basically in tears.”

“That’s despicable.”

Lily and Hugo were third years. What if it had been them?

“Yeah. I asked him to stop, but I didn’t think much of it at the time. I figured that some boys do silly things to impress girls, you know?”

Teddy thought briefly of the missing house elves at Hogwarts, and he clenched his hands shut tightly. Was that what Jackson was doing to them? Teddy didn’t want to admit it, but he supposed the reality was far worse.

“I just don’t understand why you don’t want to try and put him behind bars. He’s a monster.”

Nina blinked like she’d been slapped. “You don’t know what’s best for me.”

“Maybe not,” allowed Teddy, “but surely this isn’t it.”

She stood up. “Have you ever considered the possibility that I’m happy?”

“I don’t believe that for a second. You are wandless and away from your family, on the run from the government. That’s not the recipe for happiness, Nina. You deserve better. Jackson deserves worse than what he’s getting now.”

“I’m _beginning_ to be happy here. I like the mountains. And the dragons. I have Blarney and Charlie to keep me company.”

Teddy cocked his head. _And me_ , he thought.

“I can’t ever go back, Teddy. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: if you want to go home, you’re more than welcome. We can get you a portkey by sundown.”

Heat pooled in his neck. “Don’t be stupid. I’m not going anywhere.”

Maybe it was selfish of him, but he couldn’t imagine returning to Hogwarts after this. He couldn’t go back to a desk and essays and that constant breathless feeling.

He’d been trying to wrap his head around why he’d followed her to Romania. It was more than not wanting to leave her alone. Something in him had made him jump at that portkey like it was a lifeboat. On the run, he was breathless in an entirely new way. This life was exciting. It had dragons and veterans, leprechauns and runaways.

He was happier here than he had been there. And somehow, it made him feel horribly guilty. He had always wanted to be a professor. He still wanted to be a professor. But he couldn’t imagine going back to it now.

She let out a slow, tired breath. “Teddy, this is my life now. And I’m okay with it.”

She looked at him so plainly that his heart actually clenched. For a moment, he couldn’t help but do the same. She was a shocking vision of Nina; a Nina he was seeing in an entirely new light. This time, the vision didn’t shatter like the inkpot on his classroom floor. He had to tear his eyes away and deconstruct it all on his own.

* * *

“Sounds like that didn’t go to plan,” said Blarney, soon after Nina and Charlie left for the afternoon. He clutched a bottle in his right hand, disproportionally large against his small frame.

“I’m surprised to see you up,” said Teddy instead, trying not to take the bait.

“I,” said Blarney, taking a swig, “am just as entitled to fun as the rest of you.”

Teddy shot him a curious look. “Nobody said you weren’t.”

Blarney left the bottle on the couch and meandered over to Teddy’s seat at the dining table. He boosted himself onto the chair. “What was that with Nee?”

“Just legal stuff,” said Teddy dismissively. “Why? Are you secretly a master solicitor?”

Blarney raised a ginger eyebrow. “I have a few tricks up my sleeve.”

“Like what?” asked Teddy, not entirely convinced.

“Three wishes,” he said proudly, like a child who had just won a prize.

Teddy sighed. He knew of Blarney’s magic and the theories that went along with leprechauns. Some imaginary pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Wealth beyond compare. Three wishes for whoever traps them. He wasn’t sure how much of it he believed. The books in Charlie’s collection mentioned the wishes, but not much else.

“She hasn’t made any wishes.”

Blarney frowned. “I know. She should.”

“Don’t you resent it?” Teddy asked, without being able to stop himself. “The capture, the wishes.”

Blarney nodded slowly, and Teddy could see clearly the affect the alcohol was taking on his body. He was so small, and the whisky so strong, that he moved in slow, grand movements. The words got stuck in his mouth before he managed to say them.

“Usually. But Nee is different.”

“How?”

“Jus’ is,” slurred Blarney. “She treats me like I’m a person.”

“Well, you are a person. Just a very annoying one.”

Blarney sighed, “You don’t understand. My whole life, I’ve been captured by humans of all kinds, and they all want the same things. Humans are predictable. They want money or fame or power. Some want love, but only for the wrong reasons.”

Teddy blinked. “How many times have you been captured?”

He shrugged messily. “Dunno. A lot.”

“You don’t try to… run away? Get revenge?”

“Of course I try and run away. Doesn’t always work, now does it? And I don’t have to get revenge, because all you stupid humans realize that the things you wish for are never enough.”

“Then why do you want Nina to use her wishes?”

“She doesn’t want money or fame or power.”

“Yes she does,” Teddy found himself protesting, though not unkindly. “She wants her magic.”

Blarney waved him away, like somehow he was too stupid to understand.

“And love. Nina wants love,” Teddy added.

Everyone wanted love, though. He could hardly fault her for it. It had been engrained in all of them from the moment they could speak. Love made you powerful. Love made you strong. Love made you kind. Love won the war. Why shouldn’t you want love?

“She wants it for the right reasons.”

Teddy didn’t know how to ask what those reasons were. He couldn’t imagine a bad reason for love. Maybe love was selfish at times, but it was also generous. There was no bad love, only bad lovers.

He found himself shrugging instead, heading to the tap to get Blarney a glass of water. “And what do you want?”

Blarney took a greedy gulp, belching when he finally set the glass on the table. He didn’t speak for a few moments, wobbling on the chair as he gathered his thoughts.

“Some respect!” He laughed, eyes light with mischief. His smile fell after a moment, though, and he nodded to himself. “Yeah.”

Teddy rolled his eyes. “If you’d like it, you better give it in return. I know you know my name isn’t Eddy.”

“But you _look_ like an Eddy.”

“And you look like a disaster, but I don’t call you that.”

Blarney snorted. “Look at you, Professor Feisty. I’ve taught you well.”

Teddy opened his mouth to respond, but shut it promptly. He wasn’t wrong. “Really, though, Blarney. What _do_ you want? You haven’t left the house in days. We’re all worried about you.”

“I don’t think Nina has really noticed.”

“Fine,” sighed Teddy. “ _I’m_ worried about you.”

Blarney occupied himself with another sip of water, though it did little to sober him up. “You can’t tell Nina. Do you promise me?”

“Why not?”

“Just promise me, blueberry brains.”

Teddy touched his hair, a little self-consciously. “ _Fine_. I promise.”

Blarney hesitated a moment, giving Teddy a considering glance, before continuing on. “I’m not really supposed to leave Ireland. Scotland, England, and Wales are fine, but anywhere else gets… complicated.”

Teddy straightened. “What do you mean?”

“Our magic is tied to the land. The farther away we are, the weaker it grows. And the longer…”

They’d been in Romania for ages now, and Blarney had been getting progressively worse. In the beginning, he’d venture outside at night and wander through the forests. They’d sit together in the living room waiting for Nina and Charlie to fly by on Alan’s back.

He continued with a frown. “If she doesn’t use her wishes soon, I won’t be able to help her.”

“And what will become of you?” Teddy asked. He was surprised by the anxiety creeping into his tone.

“Don’t worry about that, Eddy. I’ll power through.”

Teddy couldn’t help but worry. He saw the bags under Blarney’s eyes grow darker by the day. He suffered in silence, only drinking when Nina wasn’t around. He slept all day and all night. He was struggling. Nobly, silently, but struggling all the same.

“What can I do to help?” He hardly recognized he’d opened his mouth until he heard the words in the air.

“You don’t get it,” said Blarney, rolling his eyes with such gusto that it rivaled even Nina. “I never had a family in Ireland. I never had friends. The other leprechauns, they shunned me… No respect for a cobbler with no gold.”

“I thought the gold thing was a myth,” blinked Teddy.

“Humans,” scoffed Blarney, “you act like you’re the only creatures under the sun. _No_ , it’s not a myth. The respectable leprechauns have fortunes that would make even a Goblin drool. I just… don’t.”

Teddy’s mind was whirring. “Is that why you took Hermione’s deal? To get some respect from your people?”

“None of that matters now,” said Blarney, waving the very thought away. “I’ve got a much better bargain here. Not even the leprechauns treated me with respect, but you lot? You lot do.”

“I thought we were just selfish humans,” teased Teddy, but inside, his heart was hammering.

They weren’t so different, Teddy and Blarney. He’d never realized it before, but Blarney came along because he didn’t quite fit anywhere else. Had Teddy not done the exact same?

They were two iterations of the same story: one cast in red, and one cast in blue. He felt a surge of protectiveness for the leprechaun he’d never felt before, but one that he had seen in Nina’s eyes many times.

“Exceptions to the rule,” allowed Blarney. “I want to help you, Eddy. With her legal strategy. If she won’t play along, I can help you. It’s just the two of us in here all day. We’ll definitely find something.”

“Really?” Teddy was excited now. “Blarney, that’d be amazing.”

The leprechaun nodded and let out a small burp. “Of course. Just remind me when I wake up. I’m not going to remember this conversation at all.”

Teddy let out a long sigh, but he found himself nodding. And when Blarney finally fell asleep, just before suppertime, he tucked him into the buggy. He felt victorious, for more reason than one.


	25. The Rattling Wardrobe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Practicing wandless magic leads to two far bigger discoveries for Nina and Teddy.

Nina stopped at the edge of the hallway, lingering for a moment on Teddy’s profile, leant over a book. He had a muggle pencil in his mouth, biting softly on the metal that held the rubber to the wood. Glasses slipping down his nose; he pushed them up without thinking, leaving a small fingerprint on the edge of the glass.

“Teddy?”

He startled. “What? Oh. Hi there.” The shock quickly melted into an easy smile.

“I was wondering if you wanted to work on wandless magic today.”

It had been so long since Nina’s birthday— since she threw him a bone at the pub, trying to make the conversation flow— but the facts remained the same. Nina was wandless; she needed to learn how to manage.

The Sanctuary seemed as good as any other place to do it. Like Hogwarts, the air here seemed heavier with magic. She wasn’t sure if it was the dragonologists or the dragons themselves. Maybe it was this place, steeped in history that preceded even written record.

Teddy brightened at once. “I’d love to. Are you not going to see the dragons today?”

She shrugged. Her hands were burnt enough for the week.

“I haven’t seen a lot of you recently,” she said instead. “Or Blarney,” she added with a frown.

Teddy tensed a little at the mention of Blarney. “He’s sleeping. In Charlie’s room.”

“Oh,” nodded Nina. “Is he alright?”

Teddy pursed his lips. “He’ll be okay.”

She was conscious of Teddy’s withholding tone, and decided not to press the matter further. She just hoped the pair of them had grown closer in her absence. Blarney—much to Nina’s irritation— seemed aware of her unrequited feelings for Teddy. He wasn’t particularly friendly with the Metamorphagus to begin with, but he had grown even more protective of her since realizing the nature of her feelings.

She just wanted all of them to get along.

“Right. Well then, professor, where to we begin?”

He let out an exasperated sound. “Don’t call me professor, _Dominique_. We’re not at Hogwarts anymore.”

“Alright,” she said, unable to keep from smiling.

He jumped to his feet, abandoning the book on the couch beside him. Nina spotted a blueprint in its pages, and a few incantations that must have been construction magic.

“I put up a simple invisibility ward in his back garden,” said Teddy. “So that Blarney and I could go outside during the day. The whole Sanctuary is unplottable, of course, but I just wanted to make sure that none of the other dragonologists spotted us while we were out.”

“They’ve already seen me, though, when I go up with Charlie.”

Teddy stopped in his tracks. “You’re joking, surely.”

“No,” she said, a little confused. “Teddy, you didn’t think I was just secretly taming dragons, did you?”

“I—“ Teddy stopped, tugging at his locks. “I _thought_ that you’d be more careful than that. You were the one who said Hermione might be employing magical beasts and their owners. Blarney specifically warned you to stay away from any magical creatures. Tell me Charlie at least transfigures your face before you go up.”

“I am being careful,” she protested. “None of them know who I am. They don’t exactly get the _Prophet_ in Romania. Most of them barely speak English.”

He stared her down. She didn’t back down, chin out defiantly. He sighed.

“Okay. I trust you. I just— I just don’t want all of this to have been for nothing. We’ve been working on your legal strategy…”

“ _You’ve_ been working on my legal strategy.”

“No. We have. Blarney and I,” said Teddy. “He wants to see you happy and free just the same as I do.”

Her jaw fell for a fraction of a moment. That little blighter. She wanted to let out a frustrated sigh, but she tamped it. She couldn’t be annoyed at either of them when he said it like that. _Happy and free_.

She wasn’t going to remind him—yet again—that she wasn’t just buying her time. Nina was in the business of making a new life for herself. She’d told him this plenty of times; at this point, he was choosing to ignore her.

“Fine,” she said instead, opting for a smile. “Let’s just work on some magic, shall we?”

She followed Teddy out to the small patch of grass behind Charlie’s hut. The sun came down, hot, over both of them. She was grateful for the warm weather. More and more, she could discard her heavy jacket. She dropped it against the wall of the hut.

Teddy was in a t-shirt, like her, and a pair of jeans. His time in Romania was treating him well— the weight he’d lost in Ireland had come back. He looked just as fit as ever, muscles shifting under the fabric of his shirt.

She’d gained a little weight herself, but lamentably, it had all gone straight to muscle. She looked better than before— roundness was beginning to return to her cheeks— but she looked a bit like an eleven year old boy. Knobby knees and calloused hands and no physique.

“Wandless magic,” said Teddy with a clap. “You were already in the top of the class when it came to wandless magic. But, there’s more that you can learn beyond the N.E.W.T level. Sit down.”

He pointed at a sunny patch of grass next to him. Nina obliged. He laid back, staring straight into the cerulean sky. Cautiously, Nina leaned back as well.

She had to squint at the brightness, but the candy-floss clouds were few and far between. She saw one shaped vaguely like a kite and another, at the other edge of her vision, shaped like a fish.

“Wandless magic falls into a few branches,” explained Teddy. “Beyond the N.E.W.T level, there’s a lot of important domestic uses of wandless magic. Most of it is supplementary, you know? In case you can’t quite find your wand on you or something like that. Most of the time, you’d use wandless domestic magic to cast a charm on top of a dying charm. That’s not so difficult.”

“Like doing the dishes,” she suggested.

“Exactly. Or knitting. You know, like Grandma Molly does?”

“Yeah.” Nina smiled at the memory of knitting needles constructing Weasley sweaters.

“Another branch is what we went over in class. Simple, defensive, wandless magic. Very difficult, of course.”

Nina snorted. “You can’t call it simple and then call it difficult. It’s bloody hard, that’s what it is.”

“You just have to get your hand motions right,” he said. “For example—“

Teddy sat up onto his elbows. He held his hand outward, fingers spread, and twisted his wrist sharply. “ _Expelliarmus._ ”

A bolt of red magic shot out until it hit the ward, fizzling away.

“There are just some spells that you won’t be able to get. It requires Dumbledore-level power to master wandless magic, and that kind of talent is rare. Even Hermione struggles.”

Nina felt a little reassured at that. “What about offensive magic?”

He furrowed his brow. “It’s nearly impossible. And what would you need offensive magic for?”

She stared blankly at him. “What kind of question is that? Of course I’ll need offensive magic. I’ve got to keep those bloody Aurors off my trail somehow.”

Teddy bristled. “The Aurors are not the bad guys.”

“The Ministry has been tracking me down for a crime I didn’t commit. Aurors have followed me practically since Tinworth.”

He clenched his jaw. “You ran away before the trial. You can’t expect them to just know you’re innocent.”

She sat upright, jaw slack. “I thought you were on my side! Now, you’re suddenly defending the Aurors?”

“The bad guy is Jackson!” protested Teddy, finally losing his patience. “Not you, not the Aurors. Jackson. And don’t be stupid, Nina. You know I’m on your side. I’m here, aren’t I?”

“If the Aurors came to the Sanctuary to take me away, would you fight them?”

Her question hung in the air for a moment, heavy between them. Teddy looked over at her, shock behind his round glasses. She let the silence linger like a follow-up question. _Well? Would you?_ the quiet seemed to ask.

“I would,” he admitted. “Without a second thought.”

Nina exhaled, not aware that she’d been holding her breath to begin with.

“But that doesn’t mean they’re bad. It means they’ve been an obstacle. You can’t just… You can’t divide the world up into good or bad people.”

“I don’t mean that they’re bad people—“ interjected Nina quickly.

“That’s what you implied,” said Teddy gruffly. “You’d use offensive magic on an Auror? They have families to go home to, Nina. Imagine if it was Harry.”

She broke eye contact, wincing as she imagined a bolt of green magic hitting Uncle Harry squarely on the chest. “I get it. You’re right, I’m sorry.”

He banished the tension from his face. “You’re fine. Look, why don’t we break for lunch? We can start again after we eat.”

* * *

When they came back into the hut, Nina darted down the hallway to her bedroom. It was warmer than usual today, and she made a B-line for her purse. She stuck her hand in, searching for a vest to change into. Maybe she’d even manage a tan.

She pulled it out, victorious, and set it onto the bed. No sooner than she grabbed the hem of her shirt, prepped to take it off, a noise startled her.

Her wardrobe had begun to rattle, sending the trinkets atop it— a stray dragon’s tooth, a thick book of charms, an old cup of tea— careening to the ground. The teacup shattered on the floor, and Nina yelped in surprise.

She took an instinctive step back. The rattling was growing stronger, and the dresser almost seemed to lift off the ground. A drawer sprung open, and a dark fog solidified into a decomposing form.

Nina gasped. The figure was lurching toward her jauntily. It was gaunt, and oddly familiar, with sparse locks of long, blonde hair and wide blue eyes, which were narrowed in focus. Nina scrambled further back, toppling onto the bed.

“Iskra?” she asked. But that was impossible— Iskra was at Hogwarts; she wasn’t dead.

 _CRACK._ The figure changed, no hair this time, but similarly vacant blue eyes and the tattered remains of a mediwizard’s uniform. “Victoire,” Nina gasped, feeling panic heave its way into her chest.

She screwed her eyes shut. It was a boggart; only a boggart. _CRACK_. Nina opened her eyes again. This time the figure was tall, with brown eyes and thinning red hair. “Dad!”

“Nina, are you alright?” came a concerned voice from down the hall.

 _CRACK_. The boggart changed once more, and Nina saw cropped brown hair and clunky black boots standing in front of her; a solitary blue eye leered at her; on the left ear there were the remains of a phoenix feather earring.

Tears were pecking at her eyes. She was finding it impossible to breathe; no matter how hard she labored to pull air into her lungs, the choking sensation came back in spades. “Teddy,” she croaked. “Help!”

The door swung open. Teddy stared on in shock. “Inferi? But how—”

“No,” managed Nina breathlessly, “B-boggart!”

He looked from the groaning, decomposed version of Nina to her real wandless hand. Realization flickered across his eyes, and he leapt immediately in front of the character.

The boggart stopped and wavered for a moment, before color flushed its cheeks and it assumed the form of another.

This time, the boggart stood just about as tall as Teddy. Behind him, Nina could hardly make out the shape, and when she poked her head up to see over his shoulder, she could spot the characteristic round spectacles and lightning-bolt scar.

She blinked. Teddy’s worst fear was _Uncle Harry_?

Teddy’s wand hand began to shake, and he lifted it up just as the boggart began to speak.

Uncle Harry’s face contorted cruelly, lips pulled up in a condescending sneer. It sent the hair on Nina’s arms standing straight up.

“I wish Remus had never left you to me,” spat the boggart. Nina gasped, and the boggart continued on. “You’re not my _real_ son. You’ll never be my son.”

Teddy twitched violently, but he raised his shaking hand, leaving it inches away from the boggart-Harry’s nose. “ _Riddikulus_ ,” he said cooly.

The Boggart-Uncle Harry wavered for a moment, until he reappeared in a pink sundress, carrying a wicker basket, and wearing ambitiously high heels. Nina snorted out a laugh; it was the sort out outfit she was used to seeing on her sister.

The boggart covered his chest self consciously. Teddy was laughing now, too, and the beast disappeared in a cloud of white smoke. Silence fell when the boggart vanished.

Teddy turned to Nina blushingly. “Sorry, I—“ he paused, shaking his head. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone about that.”

Questions were burning in the back of her throat, but she swallowed them down. He was pale, unable to meet her eye. She felt a peculiar sharpness within; a longing to convince Teddy that he _did_ belong.

 _You’re not my real son_ , the boggart had said. Teddy had flinched when it’d said it, though Nina was not sure even he recognized it. She scanned his freckled face; the eyes behind his round glasses would not budge from the floor.

“Of course not,” she replied, as kindly as she could manage.

Teddy said a breathy “Thanks” and turned towards the door. Nina grabbed his wrist, hardly cognizant of having made the effort to stop him.

“Teddy,” she said. He didn’t pull away from her grasp. “Look, if you… if you ever wanted to talk, I’m here.”

He still wouldn’t look up. “It’s mortifying.”

Suddenly, she understood. His adamant argument that the Aurors weren’t the bad guys. His defense of Uncle Harry. It was more than argument’s sake— it was his life.

“It’s not,” she rushed to say, squeezing his wrist reassuringly. She scrambled for words. She wasn’t used to this kind of conversation; this raw vulnerability. “It’s only natural.”

This was not the right thing to say. He tugged his wrist back to cover his chest.

“Well, what about you? Inferi?”

She shivered. “When we studied them in fourth year, I had nightmares about them for weeks.”

She hadn’t even told Iskra about that. She’d been embarrassed— what sort of fourteen year old had nightmares? But every night that year when she had closed her eyes, she imagined her body raised from the dead, puppeted around to do someone else’s bidding.

“They’re quite scary,” said Teddy diplomatically. He was still tensed all over.

She wanted to reach out and grab his hand again, but she did not.

“I…” she hesitated, watching for his reaction. He slowly met her gaze. “I don’t want to be powerless. Ever.”

Recognition flickered in his eyes.

There was no need for Teddy to explain his fear. The boggart did that well enough, but she felt she owed him some vulnerability in return. He’d flayed his heart, put the most sensitive side of his soul on display for her, and all she could offer in return was her nightmares.

But it was more than nightmares. It was power, and the act of loosing it. _That_ made her marrow run cold.

Teddy only nodded. He turned to leave again, and Nina managed one last appeal.

“Teddy, you _do_ belong.”

He hovered in the doorway one moment and nodded. Then, he let the door close behind him. Nina heaved a sigh.


	26. Dragoste

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nina, Teddy, and Charlie head down to the local village, where they're met with a few surprises.

The village of Dragoste was a small settlement at the base of the hills, far off from the smoky roars of the dragons in the mountains. From here, Nina would have thought it impossible to imagine a world of magic; all of the joy and intrigue here seemed to come from the beautifully mundane. She saw clothes hanging out to dry in back gardens, villagers conversing with one another.

She smelled real food— not granola bars from her purse or suspicious leftovers from Uncle Charlie’s fridge. This was a real place. Where real people built their homes.

Nina stole a glance at Teddy, but he didn’t seem as fascinated as she was. He was looking between Uncle Charlie, engaged in some intense conversation, and the streets. She recognized the tension in his forehead at once.

“Cheer up,” Uncle Charlie sighed. He punched Teddy lightly on the shoulder. “Nobody knows who you are here. Nobody speaks English.”

“What if the Romanian Ministry of Magic is on the lookout for us?”

Teddy was whispering so quietly she could hardly hear him over the sound of their collective footsteps.

Charlie’s voice was just as quiet. “I get the news delivered from the magic district in Bucharest every day. Nobody knows you’re here. Nina hasn’t come up in the papers at all.”

Nina trudged ahead, trying to keep their whispers out of her ears.

The further they progressed into town, the more delightful it seemed. Dark, angular roofs stuck out in sharp contrast with the green of the hills. The town was protected at its outskirts by the lush forest that continued up the hills and into the mountains. Flimsy wooden fences and dirt paths accessorized the structure of the village. And hanging above the street they walked down was colorful bunting in beautiful shades of blue, red, and yellow.

It was not much longer before they came up to the end of the main road. It emptied into a plaza, where people sat at umbrellaed tables, drinking coffee and chatting with their friends. At the center of the plaza, there was a fountain, taking the form of a lynx.

Nina came to a halt in front of it. There was a large plaque. Nina recognized the word Dragoste emblazoned at its top. “What does it say?”

Uncle Charlie came beside her, squinting at the plaque. “It says that the fountain was erected—“

Nina couldn’t help but snort.

“—For the town’s three hundredth anniversary.” Uncle Charlie laughed alongside Nina. “Today we’re here for the village’s five hundredth anniversary.”

“Oh, is what all the bunting is for?” She pointed at the colored strings above her.

She found it hard to believe that a village like this had existed for five hundred years, but at the same time; she couldn’t imagine a time when a place like this was new either. She hardly saw any evidence of the modern technology she’d read about in her Muggle Studies books. She saw no cell phones or large electronic billboards. She did see one television, though, on the back wall of the pub they stood in front of. There was a football game on.

Uncle Charlie nodded. “It’s a big deal.”

Teddy crossed his arms across his chest, looking intently at the lynx. Nina caught Charlie roll his eyes before he continued speaking.

“It’s a week long celebration. Tonight’s the last night. I figured it’d be best to bring you now, because no one else from camp will be here. We all came last night. You’ll be able to relax more.”

“Do the villagers know you?” asked Teddy, turning to rejoin them.

“Of course. We buy all our food here. They think we work for the United Nations.”

Teddy seemed to relax. “Oh. Good.”

“I brought you both some muggle money.” Uncle Charlie thrust a small, crumpled pile of euros into Nina’s hands. “Have fun, for Merlin’s sake. The both of you are driving me crazy.”

Just as the words left his mouth, Charlie scurried off to the pub at the edge of the plaza.

There was a long beat of silence.

“Is it weird that I almost wish Blarney was here?” asked Teddy.

Nina snickered. “Coming from you? Yeah.”

He met her eyes with a wide smile, and her heart melted a little.

* * *

Charlie had given them space; more space than Nina thought she wanted. This close, Nina could see all the details of Teddy that she’d been trying to ignore. Not the bad things— his annoying qualities never managed to annoy her anyway. No, up close she could see his eyes twinkle and his lips quirk when he smiled, and it made her want to explode.

The lingering glances they’d been exchanging over the last few weeks had to have been entirely in her head. She tried to remind herself of that at night, when she grew flushed as she replayed the day’s events in her mind.

It made escaping up the hill into the Sanctuary all the easier. It was distance— distance was safe. He was just Teddy, she told herself firmly. Just Teddy, and that was that.

“Shall we grab some food then?” he asked.

Nina’s stomach rumbled at the thought. When she’d first arrived to Charlie’s hut, she could hardly stomach an entire meal. Her stomach had expanded since then, and she found herself ravenous at the mention of food.

She nodded eagerly. “Something sweet.”

Teddy nodded, and disappeared into a nearby building. The smell of bread wafted from inside it, and Nina practically salivated on the spot.

The festival was larger than Nina had expected, especially considering the size of the village. Just beyond the high street there was a field, and Nina spotted some villagers making their own fun in the expanse of grass.

Perhaps she was wrong about the mundane feeling so distant from the magical world she knew. Because if she squinted her eyes, Dragoste could have been some Romanian Hogsmeade. It had the same structure of quaint houses and a tight-knit feel. Even if she didn’t know a word of Romanian, she was left with the distinct impression that everyone in this town knew each other, and that they had done for generations.

Nina could easily imagine a plethora of Romanian wizard students descending into the streets, hanging off statues and daring each other to jinx the fountain in the center of the town. It filled her with a deep pang of nostalgia.

She was finally accepting that she would likely never see Hogsmeade again. She would never walk into Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes like she was royalty, or grab butterbeers with Iskra at the Three Broomsticks. There would be no marveling at the Shrieking Shack or listening to the cacophony of owls in the Post Office.

And that was where she would have to screw her eyes shut and put away her nostalgia. She imagined herself shoving it into a glass Mason jar and screwing the lid on so tight that nobody could possibly open it. Hogsmeade was where it would have to begin and end, because she could not possibly open the floodgates on the nostalgia for Hogwarts, or the heavy homesickness she had for the Cornish beaches by Shell Cottage. Or, Merlin forbid, her family.

Teddy appeared at her side, extending a pastry in her direction. She took it, only bothering to ask once it was centimeters from her mouth what it was.

“Apparently, it’s called _plăcintă cu ciocolată_ ,” said Teddy with a shrug. “Can’t pronounce it to save my life, but it’s delicious. Try it.”

She gave the small square a bite, blinking as the rush of sweet hit her tongue. The pastry melted in her mouth almost at once, leaving her with the nutty, chocolate interior.

“That’s… incredible!” Nina touched her fingers to her mouth like she couldn’t believe it. “Is it almost—“

“Orangey? I tasted it, too!”

Nina shook her head in disbelief. “Fantastic.”

Teddy pointed at his lip. “You’ve got a bit of…”

Nina rubbed her lip, doing her best to banish the heat from her cheeks. “Did I get it?”

He shook his head, taking a step forward. Against her will, her heart began to pick up speed.

“Can I?” He pointed at her lip.

“Sure,” whispered Nina.

He extended his thumb, brushing it against her lip carefully. Despite her best efforts, she found her eyes drawn to his thumb as if they were magnets, and her eyes flicked to his cupid’s bow, then up to his amber eyes.

His hand lingered on her mouth for a fraction of a second while their eyes met, and it was only Nina pulling her eyes away that made him drop his hand. They stepped apart.

“Thanks,” she said. “There’s something in the field over there, do you want to check it out?”

He was still looking at her when she looked back to him.

“Yeah,” he said lightly, “sure.”

* * *

Teddy followed close behind Nina as they ducked through a gap in two buildings and came out in the field. There were a few booths set up by locals: selling leather or jewelry, offering fortune-telling or other services. At the center of the booths was a large wooden bucket, above which a man sat on something like a diving board. The bucket was full of water. On the front of it was a large target.

Those who weren’t shopping gathered round the bucket. A man at a till next to the bucket collected money in exchange for balls which the children pelted at the target.

“I saw something like this in a TV show once!” said Teddy excitably.

“Really?” asked Nina, not meeting his gaze.

Teddy followed her line of vision back to the bucket. Suddenly, one of the children hit the target right in the bull’s eye. The diving board gave way and the man came crashing into the bucket of water. Nina laughed. “That’s brilliant!”

“Watch, you can have someone go up on the diving board, too.”

The child pointed at one of his friends. The kid made a big deal of protesting, but Teddy recognized a certain light in his eyes. The kid climbed onto the diving board, and the rest of the children lined up again to pay for their balls.

“It’s a brilliant money-making scheme,” commented Nina. “Who wouldn’t want to pay to dunk their mate?”

“Do you want to give it a go?” asked Teddy.

He was beginning to feel a bit mischievous, against his own best judgement. Maybe Charlie had been right. Teddy could be overreacting. Even Nina seemed more relaxed since their arrival to the Sanctuary. She had been the picture of paranoia in Ireland.

Nina’s eyes twinkled with the same mischief. “You really think you have a chance at winning? You can’t use magic to cheat.”

“I was Quidditch Captain,” he protested. “I can throw a ball!”

Nina crossed her arms. “Alright, you know what? I’m game.”

Nina approached the man at the booth, offering him a crumpled five euro note. He gave her two balls, one of which was a little deformed. Nina handed Teddy the deformed one.

“You know, since you’re so confident.”

Teddy just grinned.

They joined the line behind all the Romanian children. Nina stood before Teddy, bouncing on her heels excitedly to reach the front of the line. When it was finally her turn, Teddy watched with arms lightly crossed over his chest. Nina threw the ball with confidence, but not with accuracy. It just missed the side of the target.

“I can’t believe it,” she said slowly. “If you dunk that kid, I’m going to be really annoyed.”

“At who? Yourself or me?”

She gave him a once-over. “Remains to be seen.”

He shook his head light-heartedly. He threw the ball, hitting it right on the bulls eye. The kids around him cheered, and the boy on the plank fell right into the bucket of water.

“Told you so,” said Teddy, almost childishly. “Now get up on that plank.”

“Alright, Teddy, I think we can both agree that you’re the superior sportsman and just—“ Nina scooted back slowly.

“Not so fast, Weasley!” Teddy grabbed her wrist lightly, pulling her back to him. “A deal’s a deal, isn’t it?”

She blinked innocently. “Is it too late to renegotiate?”

Teddy nodded, suddenly feeling quite warm. “Erm— It is. Get up there.”

The Romanian children around them watched on, curious. Nina left with a shake of her head, going to climb the ladder at the back of the bucket. Carefully, she took a seat on the plank.

The kids laughed at Nina’s prim posture, legs delicately crossed. They formed a line again, and Teddy found his spot in the middle. One by one, the kids pelted the bucket, hoping to hit the bullseye, but they missed. Nina was growing more wide-eyed as Teddy approached the front of the line.

“Teddy!” She began a protest, but Teddy caught her off by throwing his ball. It hit the bullseye dead on.

The plank gave way, and she collapsed into the water with a loud splash. She resurfaced, wiping her face. “That was awful.”

She climbed out of the bucket and came over to Teddy. Her wet dress clung tightly to her body. She looked different than he’d imagined; she was stronger. He could see the shape of her muscles under the dripping fabric.

“Here,” he said suddenly, handing her his jacket. “So you don’t get too cold.”

She pushed a wet piece of hair from her face. “I don’t suppose you could cast a drying charm?”

“Ah,” said Teddy with a shake of his head. “Unfortunately, we’re in muggle territory.”

The dress clung tight to her thighs, and she lifted the hem of her skirt to wring water from the fabric.

Teddy cleared his throat, looking back up to her face quickly. “Well, erm, drinks?”

She nodded. “Oh yeah.”

* * *

When the sun began to set, it painted the sky in brilliant shades of orange and pink. They jetted across the sky until they met the fading blue on the other side, by the shadowed mountains of the Sanctuary.

The streetlights flickered on, and the string lights on the bunting cast a warm glow over the dirt path down the center of the village. A few performers congregated where the main street turned into the plaza by the fountain. Two violins and a cello, Teddy recognized for sure, with what could have been a viola or a fiddle— he truly didn’t know — and a few other stragglers. He noticed a guitar and a makeshift drum at the fountain, too. It seemed like an odd combination, but Teddy was no maestro.

The musicians looked between themselves. The percussionist tapped the edge of his bucket four times with a well-worn drumstick and a song burst to life. Next to him, Nina exhaled a small laugh of delight, and Teddy felt a peculiar lurch in his chest.

Around them, villagers poured into the street. Parents and grandparents all took to the road. None of them looked as surprised as Teddy did, but they all looked equally as delighted as Nina. They were all leaning into each other with the satisfied smile of having a shared secret.

Even Charlie seemed to have found a dance partner in a barmaid from earlier. He had his eyes closed as he swayed, one hand in hers and the other around her waist, pulling her in.

Teddy braved a look at Nina. She hadn’t pulled her gaze away from the band by the fountain.

He inhaled slowly. The little light the street offered glowed against the fiery roots of her hair. The brown had faded, but not entirely, leaving her with auburn locks that suited her remarkably well. It could have looked comical to see such a stark contrast between the red of her hair and the soft, auburn of the box dye, but Teddy found himself entranced.

Everything about her, he allowed himself to realize, was lovely. She was wearing a dress for what had to have been the first time in months, but she kept on her clunky, black boots. He’d lost his jacket to her shoulders, but he like the sight of it on her. The hem of her skirt disappeared under the length of his jacket, and her auburn hair spilled over its collar. She was a portrait of bravery and resilience, two-toned hair and all.

“Would you like to dance?”

He found the words escaping his mouth before he could stop them, and he cursed himself for sounding like he’d just walked out of a romantic comedy. She turned to face him, face alight with amusement.

“Dance?” she asked, but her facetious amusement fell as she noticed the dancing figures behind him. Her features melted into something coy, and she nodded. “Sure.”

He hadn’t heard her voice sound so small in ages. It didn’t match the clunky boots or the burn marks on her hands at all. He could feel the blisters rubbing against his palms when he took her hand. She threw an arm onto his shoulders lazily— a very Nina movement, indeed— and Teddy placed a delicate hand on her waist.

He was worried to touch her. He was worried that if he touched her or held her too tight, the vision would shatter like it had so many times before.

His chest lurched in the same peculiar fashion as before, but Teddy leaned into the sensation, taking a step closer to her. So close, he could see all the freckles on her nose from hours in the sun. He could see her pale eyelashes and the long shadow they cast across her cheek, and he wondered how he had never noticed all of this before; how he could have glossed over something so lovely. She set her head on his chest, and Teddy shut his eyes painfully.

_She thinks I belong._

The music swelled and fell in appropriate time. At some point, the song ended and another heart-clenching number took its place, but Teddy couldn’t identify the sound.

The vision hadn’t shattered. He kept waiting for it to fall apart, and for this blisteringly beautiful vision of Nina to fall away, leaving behind the girl he thought he knew.

Though, she was no longer the schoolgirl who kissed him in his classroom all those months ago. And he was no longer the bumbling professor. Neither of them, he realized with a start, had been those people in a very long time. His chest lurched again.

“Nina?” he whispered.

The violins were roaring a crescendo as if they were cheering him along. She pulled her head off his chest.

“Something the matter?” she asked, face falling for a fraction of a second. She dropped his hand.

“No! I…” he trailed off, unable to find the words. “I…”

He caught sight of her tugging her bottom lip nervously between her teeth, and the lurching in his chest changed. It seemed to build and brighten until it threatened to exceed the boundaries of his chest; no matter how he tried to convince himself to let this illusion of her shatter in front of him, it was the shards of his heartbeat pushing out of his chest that lead him to pull her into his arms.

And before even he knew it, he could feel the warmth of her mouth against his, and the silky-soft fibers of her hair through his fingers. Her rough hands brushed against his rough face, and he didn’t mind, he just leaned in deeper. Even the music had seemed to fade into the background, and all that was left was the percussion of his heartbeat and hers.


	27. The Anamban

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things have changed for Nina and Teddy, on more than one front

Nina had stared, blinking, at Teddy for a few painstaking moments after they kissed.

“Teddy,” she had breathed, unable to find anything more important to say.

Her world had just been rocked on his axis, spinning wildly like her vision, as her knees went weak. It had been fiendfyre coursing across every place he had touched.

Teddy had hardly said anything either. He stuttered, “Uh, I, erm, well— Merlin, this is hard.”

Nina had just burst into laughter, and the anxiety seemed to have melted off his face. She had thrown her arms around him, giddy to hear his heartbeat stampeding in his chest.

It was soon after that they continued, albeit awkwardly, up the hill. Nina had little idea of what to say. She was reeling, replaying the moment in her head. His hands in her hair, over and over in her mind.

She kept thinking about what would happen next. What happened when they got back to camp? It might be like that night back that night at Quigley’s Point, when Teddy threw his arms around her waist and whispered, “ _Niiina_.” It might be like that night at Hogwarts with Jackson, in the moonlit Restricted Section. She tried not to think about that possibility too much; it made her feel like her stomach would disappear out of her feet.

She especially tried not to think about what Teddy was thinking about. She knew his sexual and romantic experience had been limited to his sister— that was an off-putting thought, for sure. Would he be comparing the two of them in his mind? Had he already done it? She spared him a look, but his features looked fairly relaxed. Not the face of someone comparing the kissing techniques of the Dealcour-Weasley girls. She hoped.

“Nina, stop,” said Teddy, holding an arm out to stop her movement.

“What?” asked Nina.

He was still. “Don’t you hear that?”

She paused, listening for something other than ambient noises of the forest. Nothing aside from the squawking of birds and rustling leaves stood out to her. “Erm, no?”

“Nina, there’s a duck.”

“Right. Well, they’re a very common bird.” She looked at him sideways. “What’s the problem?”

“We’re not by any water,” he said emphatically. “Why would a duck be in the Romanian mountains?”

“Teddy. Don’t be ridiculous.”

“I’m being serious!” he said, pulling her off the trail. “Don’t you think it’s a little strange that there’s a solitary duck in the middle of the Romanian wood? Far from any water?”

She huffed, listening in for the bird Teddy was so adamant about. Not too distantly, she heard a gentle “ _quack quack_.”

Teddy grew even paler. He pulled her down to the base of a nearby tree, so that they were hidden underneath the shrubbery.

“Do you remember your birthday? When we went to the park?”

“Of course I do—“

“There were two men. We thought they were old men, but they weren’t, they were Aurors.”

They’d sat on a yellow tartan underneath the Irish sun, drinking champagne and eating fruit from a plastic container like it was the world’s most precious delicacy. There had been two men, Nina recalled perfectly. They were standing at the edge of a pond, feeding…

She looked up at Teddy with wide eyes.

“They were feeding ducks.”

Nina’s mind was whirring. “Aurors always travel in threes, but there had only been two of them until the third one appeared out of nowhere.”

The more Nina thought about it, there had been ducks almost everywhere when she had been traveling. But surely that was coincidence… There were just too many ducks in the British Isles for that to be true. From the moment she got to Ireland she’d heard ducks almost everywhere— maybe even before? The memories were beginning to blur now, after all the time at the Sanctuary.

“He’s an Animagus,” she whispered harshly. “He’s been following me since Ireland— at least— and I had no clue…”

“I think I found something!” called another voice from the distance, this time from behind both of them. Nina startled, then jerked Teddy down towards the shrubbery in the shade of the tree.

They heard a far-off quack of acknowledgement, and a soft pattering of webbed feet against the dirt.

“What should I do?” asked Teddy nervously. “Attack him?”

She afforded him a surprised look. A sudden vision of a blue haired savior throwing spells around made her feel shockingly warm. “No,” she managed, “then I’ll be without cover.”

“And Blarney?”

Nina swallowed. “At camp.”

What she wouldn’t give to have that trickster with her now— he would surely find a way to get them out of this situation in a pinch.

“We should just lay low,” whispered Teddy. “I’m sure they’ll head back to Dragoste soon if they don’t find anything.”

“Maybe Alan will show up.”

“Maybe,” he was doing her the favor of sounding hopeful, but they both knew it was futile.

They were truly alone, wishing they could be saved by a belligerent leprechaun or a dimwitted dragon. It had all the trappings of a stupid joke, and Nina had to bite her cheek to keep from laughing.

Footsteps crunched nearby. She could smell cheap cologne.

“Give me your wand,” whispered Nina, almost undetectably. “I’ve had an idea.”

He passed it to her without protest. He nodded, an unspoken and implicit _I trust you_. If it hadn’t been for the tension of the moment, Nina would have taken a second to marvel at the quickness with which he passed it to her.

Nina could see the other Auror now, not even ten feet away and staring in the opposite direction. “ _Ducklifors_ ,” Nina whispered.

“AGH—“ began the Auror as the spell hit him, but he was cut off when his protest turned into a furious, “HONK! _”_

 _“Petrificus Totalus_ ,” she went on, and the duck’s wings came clapping down to its sides, and it fell on its side quietly..

“Bit flamboyant, don’t you think? You could have just petrified him,” said Teddy. “What if a muggle…”

“Thought it was fun,” she said, almost brightly. “And the muggles won’t get to him. There’s got to be three of them, right? Aurors always travel in threes.”

Teddy nodded, “Of course. Then what are you going to do with the other one?”

“ _Quack quack_ ,” came a docile noise from not too far away. Another duck appeared in the forest. He froze, quirking his head in an almost human way to listen for a response from his colleague.

Teddy and Nina crouched further into the shrubbery. Nina had never been more grateful to have brown hair.

“Does it have a mark..?” asked Nina. She was sure it was him, but she couldn’t be too sure. She didn’t want to curse a _real_ duck, after all.

Teddy squinted. “I believe so. Here, pass me—“

She shoved his wand into his hand immediately.

Teddy shot a silent burst of magic across through the trees, hitting the Animagus squarely in the breast. He froze in place, looking angrily at the shrub.

“They look a bit like figurines,” said Nina fondly. “Perhaps I ought to put them on the mantle.”

Teddy gave her a reproachful look, but Nina spotted a smile quirking at the edge of his lip. He lifted up the Animagus and posed him right next to the other frozen duck. Even if the Ducklifors Jinx ran out before the third Auror arrived, Nina was sure her Full-Body Bind Curse was strong enough to linger beyond that. Teddy’s was sure to last for hours.

“Let’s go,” said Nina, climbing out of the shrub.

“Wait,” said Teddy. He shot red sparks into the air in the forest.

“Why would you do that?” demanded Nina. “You’ve given us away!”

“Just run,” insisted Teddy.

Nina obliged. They took off in the direction of the camp, and both of them ran until they pushed through the wards that separated the Sanctuary from the rest of Dragoste.

“What if someone had tried to kill them while they were still ducks?” asked Teddy. “We couldn’t leave them to die.”

They had families to go back to. Nina hadn’t forgotten their conversation outside Charlie’s hut. She nodded. “Good call.”

“The ward should hold,” said Teddy, reaching out to trace the nearly imperceptible boundary that separated the two worlds. Beyond the ward, the world seemed faintly blurry. Just odd enough to denote the difference between the boundary and beyond.

“But not for long,” added Nina with a grimace. “The Ministry knows about this Sanctuary. It’s the most famous in the world. They’ll surely know how to get in.”

“But it’s up to the Romanian Minister for Magic to let them in,” said Teddy.

“Yeah, but they won’t refuse… Teddy, it’s a matter of hours before they make their way in.”

Despite his penchant for trying to convince her to return to England, he seemed just as nervous as she did at the prospect of being caught. He grabbed her hand, squeezing a quick pulse of reassurance.

“Charlie’s still in Dragoste,” said Teddy. “We need to tell the others to track him down. We need to find Blarney, figure out what our next step is. Nina, you still have all your wishes— we’ll figure something out.”

He jumped into action, as calm and engaged as he ever was before a classroom. He didn’t drop her hand as they made their way up the hill towards the horseshoe of cabins, and he didn’t stop spouting plans, each more improbable than the last.

* * *

There was a fire going at the center of the horseshoe; the first Nina had seen since her arrival in to the Sanctuary two months ago. A few familiar faces hovered around the flame. She did not know their names, only the dragons they worked with, and their general specialties.

Elizabeth and Felicity’s primary caretaker stood by the flame next to Blarney, who was hardly visible above the fire pit. The caretaker seemed to be engaged in deep conversation, head pointed downwards towards the leprechaun.

“Blarney, I need to talk to you,” blurted Nina.

She saw eyebrows raise above the firepit, and shortly Blarney made his way across the crowd to Nina. He looked bleary-eyed and tired, and Nina felt a strange rush of jealousy to see him here, conversing with the dragonologists, when he’d claimed to be too tired to come with them to Dragoste. Or to do anything with her lately.

“I have news for you, too. You need to hear—oh.” Blarney stopped talking, staring at Nina and Teddy’s clasped hands. “Congrats. Fancy a drink?”

He started to turn towards the fire, but Nina reached out to put a hand on his shoulder. She dropped Teddy’s hand in the process. “No, it’s not that! Blarney, they’ve found us.”

He had the same look that Teddy had on his face when he realized, too. Bug-eyed disbelief. Nina relayed the story as quickly as she could.

“Nee, there’s someone I’d like you to meet. He has some information that’s relevant to all this.”

“Really?” Nina couldn’t keep the skepticism from her voice. Immediately, she was skeptical of the panorama of men in front of her. Charlie had been so sure they could trust them, but the Aurors were here now. And the only people that had seen Nina were the men in front of her.

“Nee, this is Ronan. He’s—“

“Elizabeth and Felicity’s caretaker,” finished Nina coldly. “I’ve seen him around.”

“You’re Charlie’s niece, right?” Ronan had a thick Irish accent, and Nina blinked at the sound of it. It had been so long since she’d heard a voice like that.

Yeah,” she said. “Blarney, how do you know this man? Has he captured you? Is that why you’ve been so upset?”

“What?” asked Ronan, almost offended. “No! I have no desire to take anyone hostage.”

Nina felt herself flush. “I’m not keeping him _hostage_ —“

“I’m sure that’s not what he meant,” said Teddy reasonably, trying to pull Nina back, who was inching towards Ronan with unreasonable confidence.

“You’ve taken him from Ireland,” said Ronan. “There’s no greater insult.”

A hush fell across the four of them. Blarney was white as a ghost, sharing a look Nina couldn’t quite place with Teddy.

“What?” she looked at Blarney. “Blarney, why didn’t you tell me—“

“I didn’t want you to worry!” said Blarney hurriedly. “I’m fine, really.”

Ronan scoffed, and Blarney elbowed him in the leg.

“Ronan knows something about the Anamban,” said Blarney with shocking delicacy.

“I told you already; I don’t want to know,” hissed Nina.

Blarney didn’t flinch away from her aggression. “Nee, listen. Really. You don’t understand what’s at stake here.”

“At stake?” Nina looked between her boys. Blarney was giving her an imploring look, while Teddy was doing his best not to look at either of them. “My _freedom_ is at stake. My _magic_.”

“Don’t talk to me about the importance of freedom,” snapped Blarney.

Nina flushed. Ronan had his lips pressed into a fine line. He was looking at her like she was some kind of monster. Like she really _had_ taken Blarney hostage. And maybe it started off that way, that very first day in Derry when Blarney had been spying on her, but it wasn’t like that now. Blarney was more than her companion; he was one of the people she trusted the very most.

“I haven’t used any wishes,” said Nina lamely. “I didn’t want to.”

Teddy set a hand on her shoulder. “Hear him out, Nina. The Anamban is… it’s dangerous.”

Ronan nodded, though not particularly kindly. “The Anamban is practically a legend in Ireland. What _do_ you know?”

Nina shook her head helplessly, but Teddy blurted an answer, to her surprise. “It’s rumored to allow you to practice dark magic without it leaving a mark on your soul.”

Ronan nodded. “Exactly. It was created by Gormlaith Gaunt. Nobody knows exactly when it was made, but it was before she went to America, for sure.”

Teddy was nodding in understanding, but Nina was absolutely lost. “Sorry, who is Gormlaith Gaunt?”

“A dark witch. She was a pureblood supremacist and an heir of Slytherin,” explained Teddy quickly.

“Exactly,” said Ronan. “Her niece was Isolt Sayre, an Irish girl who went to America to escape her. She went on to form Ilvermorny. When Isolt was young, Gormlaith killed her parents and kidnapped her in order to raise her the ‘right way.’ Like a proper pureblood. She was mental, obviously, and when Isolt escaped, she went all the way to America to track her down. That’s when she died, killed by a pukwudgie on the grounds of Ilvermorny.”

“My kind of guy,” said Blarney.

“The story of Anamban is like our Tale of Three Brothers,” explained Ronan.

Nina nodded in recognition. She was familiar with the Tale of the Three Brothers, and the very real Deathly Hallows that came from them.

There had been a beaten and battered copy of the Tales of Beetle the Bard in Hermione’s purse when she first stole it. When she’d opened the book, it fell open to the Tale of the Three Brothers. The page had been marked with the sign of the Deathly Hallows.

“The Anamban saves your soul. You can do the darkest of magic and your soul won’t blacken. You’ll stay as beautiful as you had been before. But there’s a catch, the Anamban marks you for death.”

“How do you mean?” asked Nina.

“I don’t know how it works,” admitted Ronan, “but that’s what all the stories say. If you wear the Anamban, you’ll die with a pure soul, but you’ll die all the same.”

“That could be coincidence, right?” said Teddy. “Everyone dies.”

“Gormlaith Gaunt made the Anamban before she went to America. She died in America. Countless dark wizards after her have worn it and died. Even Grindelwald was after it.”

“Grindelwald died old and in prison,” said Teddy. “He lived a long life.”

“He was murdered by Voldemort,” insisted Ronan. “Voldemort wanted the Elder Wand, but he also wanted the Anamban.”

Nina’s mind was whirring. “If he could wear the Anamban and have all the Hallows he’d be…”

“Invincible,” finished Ronan. “But I don’t think he knew the Anamban marks you for death. I think he just wanted to make a Horcrux out if it. It’s an incredibly powerful magical object.”

“It’d be the same, wouldn’t it?” Nina asked Teddy this, pivoting to him. “If Voldemort made a Horcrux out of something that was supposed to mark him for death, he still wouldn’t die.”

“He would have outsmarted it,” said Teddy slowly. “Made a mockery of death.”

“Did he ever get it?” Nina pivoted back to Ronan.

“No,” he said. “Dumbledore was a step ahead of him. Hid it in the depths of Hogwarts. There’s no safer place.”

Nina thought darkly of the two levitation charms that brought the Anamban directly into her hand. Security had gone decidedly downhill since then, apparently.

“ _That’s_ why the Ministry is after you,” said Blarney. “You have to understand what’s at stake here. If it’s not in your hands, it’s in—“

“Jackson’s,” she said grimly. “He’ll die, won’t he?”

She couldn’t imagine it. As much as she hated him, she couldn’t close her eyes and feel a sense of victory in his death.

“He can still cause some damage,” said Teddy. “The house elves…”

Nina swallowed. “I know.”

The Ministry knew she was in Romania. It was a matter of hours, not a matter of days, before they found her at the Sanctuary. It had been months that she’d been on the run, escaping a trial she was sure would end with the snapping of her wand.

But her wand was already gone. It had been for a long time now. She wasn’t powerless without it. She had run across Europe, spending a fair bit of it wandless. She’d ridden dragons and conquered her fears. She was still Nina, even without the wand.

She stuck out her chin. When the Aurors came, she would let them have her.

* * *

Charlie returned, frantic, just as the sun dipped below the horizon. Nina, Blarney, and Teddy had been sitting in the living room, largely silent, reeling from the information.

“Nina!” Uncle Charlie yelled, swinging the door to his hut open. “Oh, thank Merlin you’re here.”

He’d grabbed her in an embrace to rival Gran’s. “Do not ever run off on me like that again. I was so worried about you. There are Aurors here, Nina, we need to get you out! I know some people in—“

Nina stopped him. “We know. There’s nothing we can do.”

“Of course there is. The Scamanders and I have contacts in Peru. We’ll get you set up there, then the Scamanders will join you when it’s safe. Rolf wants to write a new book, anyway. It’ll be perfect. I’ll talk to him, he’d be happy to have your help, especially after he finds out how well you did with the dragons.”

“Really, Uncle Charlie. I have to go back.”

Charlie looked like he was having trouble digesting all this information. He looked between the tree of them. “What? But Nina, your wand.”

Nina swallowed. “Some things are more important than magic.”

When she closed her eyes, she saw house elves.

Nina wasn’t entirely stupid. She knew dark wizards only _began_ with house elves. Next it would be wizards or goblins or merpeople. Each possibility was as horrific as the next, and they flashed across Nina’s mind in gaunt, black and white images, far more horrific than her boggart had been.

She was one person in a big world full of people far more intelligent than her. She might lose her wand, but she was about the best person to do it. Nina wasn’t going to change the world, and she knew it. She was a just a half-baked witch from a family of people far smarter than she was. For the first time in her life, that felt reassuring.

“They’ll arrive before sunup,” warned Charlie. “You understand that, right?”

Nina found herself nodding before she realized she was even doing it. “Then we better get a good night’s sleep while we can.”

Uncle Charlie pulled her into another hug. “Your parents will be so proud of you.” He let her go, surveying the band of characters in front of him. “Good night, guys. I’ll see you…“

He didn’t finish, but he didn’t have to. _I’ll see you when the Aurors come_.

Charlie disappeared down the hallway to his bedroom, closing the door behind him gently.For a few more moments, Nina sat with her boys. Blarney looked as tired as ever, dark bags under his eyes despite the long hours of sleep. She extended grabbed his hand, squeezing reassuringly.

He hadn’t told her what was wrong, but Nina was starting to get an idea. Ronan had said taking Blarney from Ireland had been an insult. His exhaustion and irritability had to be connected to that. _He’ll be home soon_ , Nina reminded herself.

Teddy came up behind her, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “You should get some rest, Nina. It’s going to be a long few days for you after all this.”

She dropped Blarney's hand. “Right. Good night, boys.”

Every passing hour made her blood pump faster. She hadn’t bothered to get under the covers, even though she had changed into her pajamas and everything. She had stayed staring at the ceiling.

She heaved a short sigh and threw her legs out of bed. Gently opening her door, she peered down the hall into the living room. Teddy was awake, pacing a small circle around the couch. She almost smiled.

“Teddy,” she breathed.

He stopped at once, squinting for her in the darkness. “Nina?”

“Come here,” she whispered, as bravely as she could.

The floor creaked as he made his way over to her. “What’s the matter? Are you okay?”

“I just can’t sleep. I saw you pacing…”

“Did I keep you up?”

“No,” she shook her head. “I don’t think I could sleep if I wanted to.”

“Oh,” he said. His pupils were enlarged in the dark.

“Come to bed?”

A beat of thick, velvety silence hung between them.

“Okay.”

When they came to bed, a frantic part of Nina wanted to kiss him. She wanted to kiss him like he had kissed her in Dragoste; to feel the weight of him on top of her; to let her hands roam his shoulders.

Instead, they climbed into bed, and Teddy pulled her to his chest. His heartbeat ran as rampant as hers, like a countdown to something neither of them knew when to anticipate. He touched her hair. He ran his fingers across her cheek, tracing constellations in her freckles. She breathed him in.

For a long time, neither of them slept.


	28. The First Wish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Aurors come, and Nina makes an important decision.

She woke up to her uncle Charlie shaking her shoulders frantically. “Get up,” he said, “they’re coming.”

Nina was in the exact position she’d fallen asleep in. Head on Teddy’s chest, his arm around her shoulders. Her leg atop his. She sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes.

Uncle Charlie was looking at her with wide eyes. Heat rushed to her cheeks as Teddy woke up beside her. “Uncle Charlie, we didn’t—“

“None of that matters now. The Aurors are breaking through the wards as we speak.”

Teddy sat straight up. He looked at Nina. His expression wasn’t panicked, but it wasn’t calm either. There was an acceptance on his face that masked his anxiety well to the untrained eye. Nina’s eyes just happened to be expertly trained in all things Teddy.

“Do you have everything?” he asked.

Nina looked over at Hermione’s purse, sitting atop the wardrobe. She’d never unpacked it. The wardrobe had been empty during their two-month stay, save for the boggart. It felt like a bad omen to get too settled in anywhere. “Yeah. You?”

“I’ll grab my wand.” He pattered out of the room.

Charlie continued on with the same serious voice. “Don’t resist. When they approach, keep your hands up. I’m coming to England as soon as I can, okay? I’ll be there at your retrial.”

Nina nodded. She grabbed her purse, and with Teddy and Blarney behind her, she made her way outside. Distantly, she heard one of the dragons roar. It was a comforting sound.

She was surprised to find no Aurors on Charlie’s doorstep. Part of her expected that there would be— that as soon as she walked out of Charlie’s hut, she’d be met with three very annoyed Aurors, coughing up feathers. Vaguely, she hoped the third Auror thought it was at least a little funny to see his colleagues as frozen ducks. Nina certainly had thought so.

“Over there, look!” came a distant shout.

Nina pivoted. She saw three Aurors charging towards her at top speed.

“DOMINQUE WEASLEY,” one of them yelled, breathless, “YOU ARE UNDER ARREST.”

“Are you sure you want to go back?” asked Teddy suddenly. He grabbed her hand.“Meet me at the pub in Derry. We can take Charlie up on his offer, go to Peru…”

“Don’t be silly, we’d never make it.” She swallowed hard. The offer was almost tempting.

“We could, just apparate a few times to throw them off, and then meet me there.”

“Teddy, I can’t apparate.”

“But… you’re eighteen.”

Perhaps it was all the more reason to head back to England. Maybe she’d win. Maybe she’d go back to Hogwarts. She could finally learn how to apparate. They could take the trip to Peru, all three of them.

The three Aurors finally closed the gap between Nina, Teddy and Blarney. They panted once they stopped running, flushed in the cheeks from the exertion.

“Anything you say will be taken into writing and used against you before the Wizengamot,” said one of the Aurors quickly.

Another roar, this time not so distant, made the three Aurors turn towards the tree line. Flying low above the trees came a winged creature, green like summer grass.

Nina blinked, sure she was imagining things, but the image did not go away. Alan blew fire as he descended, roaring wildly. Charlie’s words came back to her in the back part of her mind.

_Some dragons form bonds with their carers…_

It hadn’t been long enough for that, had it? Nina had only spent a few months at the Sanctuary. Norberta and Charlie had known each other for years.

Yet, she could not deny the feeling she’d had the first time Charlie brought her up the hill. She saw something in Alan that she recognized; something she could not explain.

“Charlie?” called Teddy, voice wavering. “We have a problem.”

The door swung open again, and Charlie appeared with his wand out. He took a second to process the whole situation, but he groaned once he saw Alan hit the grass with another ground-rumbling roar.

“Good Christ, Alan,” Charlie sighed.

Nina watched on in horror as the Aurors approached the beast slowly, wands extended.“Detain the beast!” yelled one of them.

“NO!” protested Nina. She took off running towards Alan. No wand in hand, she wasn’t sure what her plan was.

“Grab her,” said the same Auror, pointing at his colleague.

“ _Incarcerous_ ,” said the first Auror.

She was mid-stride when the spell hit her. Ropes sprung out across her chest and arms and knees. She hit the ground with a thud. She managed to wiggle her way upright. The ropes around her neck compressed her airway, and she tried to pull in ragged breaths to scream. “Don’t hurt him!” she protested.

“Stay back,” said Uncle Charlie, maintaining a surprising air of calm, to the Auror who approached Alan. “You’ll only hurt yourself.”

“You are a traitor to the Ministry. We ought to bring you with us, too.”

Alan seemed to take offense on Charlie’s behalf. Enraged, he blew another great pillar of fire towards the maroon-robed officials. Charlie pushed an Auror out of the way, taking a hit of the flame on his shoulder.

A second Auror joined the first, wand out towards the beast. “I can take care of this! _Avada—_ “

Charlie leapt to his feet and punched him in the face before he could finish. The Auror crumpled to the ground. _So much for not resisting,_ thought Nina grimly. The Auror sprang back up, but blood spurted from his nose. Meanwhile, Alan let out another heavy flame. It hit Charlie’s hut, but the structure did not go up in flame.

“Freeze-Flaming Charm,” said Teddy, almost awe-struck.

“Be quiet,” snapped the third Auror, lifting his wand towards Teddy. “And give me your wand.”

Teddy handed it over without complaint, pale in the face. Nina opened her mouth to protest, but a rope slid its way into her mouth, gagging her speech. She flailed wildly.

“Nina!” Teddy ran over to her, pulling the rope from between her teeth.

“ _Stupefy_!” said the Auror, knocking Teddy backwards. He hit the ground next to Nina hard. He groaned.

Blarney was pushing up his sleeves to do something, but Nina cut him off. “Don’t, you’ll only make it worse!”

“ _Incarcerous_ ,” said the Auror, and ropes sprang across Teddy’s chest, too. “Do I need to do it to your house elf, too?”

Nina felt a protest bubbling in her throat, but she swallowed it down. “No.”

Blarney was even angrier than she was, but he was heeding her request.

Alan flailed his tail in a wide arc, attempting to hit one of the Aurors who was flanking his sides.

“Alan,” said Charlie, urgently but not without his usual kindness. “Here, boy, come on! It’s all okay, look at me!”

The dragon looked caught between two minds. His tail slowed— his head cocked like a puppy after a treat— but it all disappeared as soon as it came, and Alan blew another wide arc of flame across the campsite.

The Auror to Alan’s left lifted his wand.

Teddy’s eyes flew across the field to the Auror, but he let out a frantic noise. “My hands, Nina…”

They were bound flat against his sides. Nina’s bonds stopped at her wrists, limiting her movement but keeping her hands free.

A hot wave of panic threatened to pull her under, but there was not enough time to ruminate over her certainty that she would fail. All she had in her was an attempt.

She threw herself onto her back, lifting her hips and angling her palms so that the spell would hit the Auror across the field.

It was in the hand movements, Teddy had said.

“ _Expelliarmus!_ ” she roared, with more force than she had ever managed before.

The burst of red light came so forcefully from her hand that it shot her backwards too. She crashed into Teddy, who steadied her at once, helping her back upright. The Auror went flying, as did his wand. It flew in a wide arc to about half a meter from Nina’s feet.

It was instinctual, almost mechanical, the way she continued with a forceful, “ _Accio_.”

The wand landed in her hands. She did her best to chuck it behind her.

If Teddy had any thoughts on her unprecedented success, she did not see them on his face. Her attention was recaptured elsewhere, following the chaos in front of her.

Charlie was making progress with Alan, who tried desperately to advance in Nina’s direction. Other dragon tamers had come out of their huts, too, wands out and ready to help Alan back to his zone.

Nina wondered if this was a result of Charlie’s poor wards, or of Alan’s determination. After all, Charlie had said in explicit terms that the dragons were far more powerful than they were. They could rip through any ward. Kill the whole camp. They could decimate an army if they felt like it.

She felt touched that Alan had torn through the wards for her. But she also felt a guilt beginning in her toes, one that would surely work its way up to her throat. If Alan died here, because of her, she didn’t know how she’d forgive herself.

“Nina, use a wish,” said Blarney imploringly. “We can get you out of here safely. We could save Alan.”

Nina shook her head as much as she could beneath the restraints. “I don’t want to put you in that position.”

“I’m asking you to!” exclaimed Blarney. “You’re being stupid. You should save yourself. Or save him.”

He jerked his thumb at the dragon, who was looking far calmer now with the dragonologists around him. They must have hit him with a sleep charm, because Alan’s head was falling to the ground as if he had no control over the matter.

“No,” said Nina firmly. “Save _yourself_. Go back to Ireland.”

He blinked. “What? No.”

With all the dragonologsists out to control Alan, the Aurors finally left the beast’s side. They came back to the three runaways, each taking a spot behind an offender. Nina felt the familiar push of a wand against her throat.

“Blarney, go. It’s hurting you to be here. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”

He stood perfectly still as two Aurors grabbed him by the elbows.

“No!” she screamed, thrashing violently against her restraints. “Blarney, leave! You have to go, now!”

Her Auror shoved a knee into her back. “Be quiet!”

“He can’t,” said Teddy painfully.

One of the Aurors jabbed a wand into his neck. “No talking.”

Nina blinked at him. “What?”

“I said be quiet!” yelled her Auror.

“Ready to disapparate in 10, 9…”

“He can’t leave _you_ , Nina,” repeated Teddy.

Blarney growled at Teddy, “You said you wouldn’t—“

“8, 7…”

Time felt like it was moving in slow motion. She swiveled her head from Teddy to Blarney to the Aurors, and finally she looked at the searing sunrise. She squeezed her eyes shut as tight as she could, holding on to every happy memory she’d made here.

“Blarney,” she said weakly. She bored into his wide, green, eyes. “I want you to go. I _wish_ that you’d go.”

“6,5…”

“Don’t make me,” he snarled.

“I wish you’d go! Far away!”

“4,3…”

He scowled, and Nina almost laughed at the joy of seeing him vanish into thin air.

“What the—“ cried his Auror.

“2,1…” said the Auror at Teddy’s shoulder, and with a twist, they were gone.

* * *

Nina landed hard on her feet in the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic. She recognized the dark stones at once, and the nearby hisses of fire as people entered via Floo. It was the most disorienting side-along she’d ever endured. Her stomach seemed to oscillate in her guts, still undecided in the matter of being sick. She swallowed hard, hoping to convince her body against the idea. The last thing she wanted them to think was that she was weak.

Teddy was gasping for breath beside her, though he was just as pale and stoned-faced as she had been. He didn’t show any signs of real discomfort beyond the rope burns on his neck from the Incarcerous spell.

“Come on,” said her Auror, jerking her down the corridor.

The binding on her legs made walking nearly impossible, but she didn’t complain. She made as many stunted strides as it took, not giving him the satisfaction of flinching when he pushed his wand even further into her neck.

They came to a stop at the Visitor’s Desk, just past the Atrium near a set of telephone boxes. Nina recognized them vaguely—her grandfather had once said something about a Visitor’s Entrance into the Ministry.

“Your wands?” asked the woman behind the window.

It was not Nina’s first time at the Ministry; she knew what the woman was after. All visitors were required to submit their wands before entering the Ministry. It felt like adding insult to injury. She almost rolled her eyes.

Teddy dropped his on the marble. It clattered gently, and the woman scooped it up, never taking her eyes of Nina. She dropped it into a tube briefly, and it popped back out like toast from a toaster. A small strip of paper extruded from the machine.

“Eleven inches, oak, unicorn tail hair?” asked the woman, finally ripping her eyes from Nina to stare down her nose at Teddy.

He nodded. The woman gave him back his wand and punched the receipt onto a long, metal stick.

“And you?” She narrowed her eyes at Nina.

Nina narrowed hers right back. “I don’t have one.”

“You don’t have a wand?”

“That’s what I just said, isn’t it?”

The woman looked at the three Aurors for confirmation. Teddy was offering her an encouraging smile; something like pride glimmered in his eyes. She let herself consume this image of him: wild brown hair, dirt and blood smudged everywhere, kind eyes. She took that image of him and tucked into the deepest recess of her mind. A dim part of her wondered if she’d ever see him again.

“Alright,” said the woman at the window. “You may go on.”

They continued past the visitors center to an elevator. They boarded until they made it to a floor that the woman in the elevator announced to be “Department of Law.”

The Aurors pushed them out together, and they both stumbled forward. Nina caught herself with ease, but Teddy, who had always been a little clumsy, nearly toppled straight over. His Auror jerked him upright by the ropes.

“Thanks,” said Teddy.

“Quiet,” grunted the Auror.

They made their way into a bullpen, where a whole team of maroon-robed Aurors stood waiting for them. Applause erupted as they entered the room, and the Aurors threw Nina and Teddy to their knees.

Nina clenched her jaw tightly. She was trying to remember every reason Teddy had said that Aurors weren’t the bad guys, but she was coming up short.

“That’s enough,” said a sharp voice.

Nina looked up to a familiar sight. Uncle Harry, looking formal in his Head Auror robes, shot a reproachful look at his subordinates. None of them had the decency to look sheepish.

Hermione and Ron appeared on either side of him. Hermione, wearing a pressed business suit, frowned at Nina’s hips, where her old purse hung. Ron was in more casual business robes, emblazoned with three Ws on the breast pocket. They must have all come from work. Or, at least, on their way to it.

What time was it in England? Maybe six or seven in the morning? Nina couldn’t see the watch on her wrist, still bound to the side of her body.

Hermione let out a long sigh. She shared a look with Ron and Harry that seemed to speak volumes, and nodded. “Take Nina to Azkaban to a holding cell.”

Nina’s stomach plummeted.

“Teddy can stay in Ministry holding, at least for now.”

Teddy looked ready to protest, but Nina shot him a sharp look. There would be no room for cowardly protests. She would go at this boldly, or she would not do it at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was so annoying to write akljsdhff i wrote this fic in??? april?? may?? and have edited the first scene in this chapter dozens of times and it just. continues to annoy me. ANYWAY, i think it's an important one nonetheless. only 8 chapters left!


	29. The Lonely Isle

The Aurors holding Nina disapparated almost immediately. Teddy remained alone, staring up at a wide array of Aurors looking back down at him. He was suddenly keenly aware of the dirt smudged on his face and the ropes around his chest. He tried his best to look like was wearing them with pride, like Nina had done.

“ _Diffindo_ ,” said Harry.

The ropes around Teddy’s midsection slid to the ground, and Teddy winced at the burning sensation they left behind.

“Come here, son,” said Harry, offering a hand.

Teddy grabbed his hand, a little hesitant. Why wasn’t Harry yelling at him? He looked over to the crowd of Aurors. Their stare was not tense and angry as it had been with Nina, but instead, it bore something resembling approval.

“Good job finding her,” said Harry with a grin. “Could have let us know a bit sooner, though.”

Teddy stuttered. “I— I didn’t. I just—“

Harry clapped Teddy on the shoulder. “You’re alright. Let’s get you to my office, though. I have some questions I need to ask you.”

* * *

The air smelled immediately wet. Not like the coast at Tinworth, or even at Quigley’s Point, but a wild dampness in the air that made Nina’s whole body shiver, even after one breath.

Her stomach began its oscillating again. The apparation had been long, but not nearly as long as the one previous. Still, the effects compounded and she really had to convince herself not to be sick.

Taking in her surroundings, she realized she had three Aurors with her. The same three that had brought her from Romania. A protest welled in her mind. _They didn’t leave any with Teddy_ , but the idea stomped itself out as she remembered he’d been left behind in a whole room full of them.

“This way,” said an Auror.

He tugged her out of the small structure they’d been in. Outside, Nina could see Azkaban in the distance. It was largely obscured by fog, but the large triangular building looked only more terrifying behind the mist.

They approached the edge of the water, where two boats sat tied to a short wooden dock.

“Get in. It’s a long ride.”

* * *

Harry brought him through the bullpen to an office with a red door. An official looking plaque met Teddy at eye level. _Head Auror Potter,_ it read.

Harry pushed the door open, and Ron and Hermione followed Teddy into the room. The office looked just as it had the last time Teddy had been, but it felt different to him now. Very polished and cold, even though Teddy recognized his own face in a picture on Harry’s desk. It wasn’t an impersonal space, just… bureaucratic.

“Alright,” said Harry with a clap. “Tell us everything from the moment you realized where she was. Don’t leave anything out.”

A small Quick-Quotes Quill hovered in the air by Hermione’s head, floating alongside a red and gold notebook.

“Well, erm,” Teddy began, and he carried on his entire story with as much detail as he could conjure. It wasn’t without interruptions—all three of them interjected at one point or another, asking for clarifications in his story.

Teddy found himself able to tell it with relative ease. They’d spent so much time walking or sitting or waiting, that’d he’d had plenty of time to reflect on the past few months.

He kept a few details suspiciously short. He didn’t elaborate on what they’d done in Dragoste that day, only that they were returning from it when they found the Aurors. He didn’t explain what happened after Nina’s wandless magic lesson, only what they’d learned and discussed.

He went over, in painstaking detail, every conclusion he and Blarney had come to. Without law books, it was hard to formulate a thorough argument, but Teddy had used his memory as best he could then. He tried to do their research justice now, when Hermione Granger was giving him an inscrutable stare.

He made special effort to tell them their revelation about the Anamban. What Ronan had told them, and what Nina had said. _Some things are more important than magic_. His words were failing him— they always did. He couldn’t quite express the gravity of that moment. The determination in her eyes.

When he finally stopped, he’d put his rope-burned hands in his lap and stared at them. They looked almost as rough as Charlie’s hands.

The trio exchanged a look, and all three of them nodded at once.

“You’ll come to my house,” said Harry. “I can’t let you go back to Andy’s after all this… You’re a bit of a flight risk.”

Teddy thought to protest, but he offered a shrug instead. What could he say? It wasn’t really a lie.

“Nina’s trial is being rescheduled for about aweek from now. I don’t think Bill or Fleur will ever forgive me for putting her in Azkaban, but…” Hermione trailed off, and Ron put a reassuring hand on her knee. Hermione cleared her throat. “After everything we’ve heard today, there’s grounds for a retrial. We need to get in contact with the Bane family. Jackson Bane will need a solicitor.”

Teddy glowered.

* * *

Azkaban was far worse than she’d imagined.

Somehow, she’d though the absence of the Dementors would make it bearable. That it would be boring more than anything else, and a little lonely. Even in the holding cell section of Azkaban— on the first floor, far from all the war criminals and terrorists— she could hear how the wind made the corridors wail.

It was cold in Azkaban. The same affronting dampness she’d felt at the docks permeated its way into her cell. She had little more than a thin blanket to keep her warm. The Azkaban clothes were made of thin cotton, and the blanket on her bed felt more felted than woolen.

The rattling of her teeth and the wailing wind weren’t the worst sounds, though. Those came from above. Great, terrible screams that managed to carry all the way down. All seven stories of the prison seemed to vibrate with the noise. It felt distant at times, and if Nina screwed her eyes shut she could ignore it. But at times, the screams would be so loud that she could have sworn they were coming from her.

The Dementors were gone, but they seemed to live in the walls.

Happiness and warmth felt like distant luxuries, and Nina could only console herself with hard truths. _Some things were more important than magic._ She wasn’t one of them.

Some time later, though she wasn’t sure how long, the door to her corridor opened. She heard the steel squeak loudly. A few of the other detainees leered at the sound.

Footsteps— more than one set— came rushing down the corridor. They sounded like they were coming straight for Nina’s cell, and she willed herself upright.

“Dominique!” came the breathless voice of her mother, running up to the cell. “Dominique…”

Fleur was already sobbing, clenching onto the bars of the cell until Nina could see her white knuckles from inside. Her stomach flopped.

Bill stood back, pale faced with Louis and Victoire. Victoire looked as gripped with emotion as Fleur, but she squeezed Louis’s hand.

“My baby,” cried Fleur. “I ‘ave been so worried!”

Nina’s own eyes pricked with emotion. She pressed her lips together tightly, unable to meet her mother’s eyes. Fleur could not manage a sentence. She tried to reach a hand through the bars to grab Nina’s hand, but a guard barked a protest and Fleur had to pull her hand back.

Fleur collapsed onto the floor in front of Nina’s cell, body jerking with every painful sob. She’d never seen her mother cry like this. Fleur cried at books and movies— at particularly moving songs— but she never cried when it really mattered. Fleur was like Nina; she stuck out her chin and blinked back the tears when the time came.

Fleur was tough. Nina was feeling less tough by the minute.

“Mum,” said Louis. “Come on, the guard—“

“I do not care,” came Fleur’s furious reply. She gripped the bars of Nina’s cell. “She left me for months. I will not leave ‘er now, not when she needs me the most.”

Bill was crying now, too, steadily in the background.

What did Nina look like to them? Like a rabid animal on the other side of the bars? She imagined herself from a distance, bone thin and wide-eyed. That must have been why Louis was looking at her like she was a stranger. That must have been the pity in Victoire’s eyes.

Bill stared at the ground. “Nina, we— We were going to hide you with the Fidelius Charm. At Charlie’s hut. But you left too soon, we couldn’t get it arranged. It was too late.”

Nina’s voice didn’t sound like her own when she spoke. It was hoarse and dry in her throat. “That’s alright.”

“I can’t believe you made it all the way to Romania.”

“Me neither, really. I would have been a goner without Blarney. And… Teddy.” She couldn’t look at Victoire.

“He’s been released,” said Louis tightly. “He didn’t even make it into holding… Harry grabbed him.”

It felt like a punch in the gut, even though it shouldn’t have. Teddy wasn’t the criminal. Teddy was barely an accomplice… he spent his days trying to convince her to come home.

Nina managed a nod. “And Blarney?”

Louis gave her a blank look. “I don’t know…”

Nina let out a heavy sigh of relief. “Thank Merlin for that.”

“Who is he?” asked Victoire finally. She didn’t look angry, but Nina assumed that was her bedside manner.

“My leprechaun,” said Nina.

Louis, Victoire, and Bill exchanged a look like Nina had finally lost her mind, but she did not care much. Blarney was safe. Blarney followed her wish. She had two left, and she never wanted to use them, if she could help it. He could stay far away and safe.

She never wanted him to get captured by anyone else again. She wanted him to be like Dobby. Living on his own terms; a free agent.

“Charlie arrived yesterday,” said Bill. “Said you caused quite the ruckus at his camp.”

“Yesterday?” Nina asked. “But, I just— how long have I been here?”

“Two days,” said Victoire, as if it pained her. “We couldn’t get permission to visit until today.”

Nina found herself nodding. Two days. It had only been hours, hadn’t it? She thought the fact that it felt like years was just her mind, bored by the large expanses of nothing.

“Your trial is soon,” said Louis, a tinge hopeful. “It kept getting rescheduled… They wanted to make it on a Hogsmeade weekend, for Jackson’s sake. NEWTS are in a few months.”

“Louis,” said Bill sharply, and Louis looked sheepishly at the ground.

Nina blinked. “Jackson? How do they…?”

She’d never said anything to a lawyer. She’d just been chucked in here.

“Ted told Harry everything,” said Victoire. “He’s staying with the Potters under house arrest.”

Her heart clenched. She crouched to the ground, where Fleur still sat, tear-stained but still glamorous. She reached her hands through the bar, grabbing onto her mother’s white-knuckled fingers. Fleur let out a weak sob. One just like it threatened Nina’s chest, but she bit her cheek. 

Her mother always had an uncanny ability to understand her emotions. Fleur could pull Nina close and pet her hair, whispering reassurances in French that made Nina feel like everything would be okay.

She didn’t know how to return the favor. “ _Maman,_ ” she managed. “ _Je t’aime_.”


	30. To Belong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teddy is back at the Potter house, and some things are weighing quite heavy on his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know the last chap was emotional but look it's an emotional rollercoaster from here on out. buckle up

The Potter house looked different than it had before. Somehow, now it loomed tall against the trees behind it. It was a towering thing of angles and windows, which offered a glimpse of domestic bliss behind the panes.

The kids had arrived soon after Teddy. It was a flurry of hugs and I-missed-yous, and Teddy welcomed the affection. Lily had hugged him particularly tightly. “I thought you had died,” she whispered. Teddy’s heart broke just a little.

James, despite hugging Teddy, had punched him in the arm. “It’s all very well and good that you went on the run, but could it have waited until after my O.W.L year?”

Teddy had laughed.

With the six of them, the house had begun to feel smaller than it ever had, despite its looming exterior. When he ran into Harry and Ginny in the halls, he didn’t quite know what to say. Were they disappointed in him? He couldn’t tell.

When they sat for dinner, Teddy did his best to make conversation, but his mind was adrift. He kept thinking of Nina, chin out and resolute, telling the woman at the Ministry that she had no wand. He thought of Nina behind cold, metal bars. He thought of Nina’s scorched hands in his. He thought of his hands in her hair, red melting into brown.

When he was lost in his thoughts, Teddy paced. Sometimes in his bedroom, which had not changed at all since his Hogwarts days. There were Hufflepuff posters on the wall with drawings Victoire had done. The desk was scattered with old paperwork, and his closet still held an old Hogwarts cloak, with the Head Boy pin securely fastened and gleaming. At first, he had smiled at the memories, but after a while, he had to take the drawings down. Thinking of Victoire made him think of Nina.

If he was in the mood, Teddy paced downstairs. He made rounds from the kitchen to the living room, past the cupboard under the stairs, full of broomsticks, and back again.

Today, though, Teddy paced outside. In the front garden, where he was illuminated by the outdoor lights and kept company by the Holyhead Harpies flag on the front porch.

He paced, as if he hadn’t done enough walking in the past few months, and ran all the possibilities through his mind. The front door swung open. Teddy turned to the movement, relaxing when he saw his godfather levitating two cups of tea.

“Ginny and I have been watching you wear a path in the grass for the better part of an hour,” said Harry easily.

“Have I?” Teddy looked down at his feet and the stomped-down grass underneath them.

“Figured I’d bring you some tea. You look like you need a chat.”

He supposed he did. He probably looked like a mad scientist; his hair stood up straight from all the tugging. The tea floated its way over to Teddy. He grabbed the saucer firmly.

“You never answered my letter about being an informant.”

Teddy sighed. “To be honest, I never opened it.”

To his surprise, Harry let out a chuckle. “You’re so like your father. He was just as stubborn as you are. More stubborn than me, if you can believe it.”

Teddy didn’t know too many people that were more stubborn than Harry. Maybe his Nan.

Harry took a seat on the porch steps. “You look like him more and more everyday. And your hair… I haven’t seen it brown in years.”

Teddy touched it self-consciously. “It was more discreet than the blue.”

“You used to wear it bright red when you were little. It would drive your Nan crazy watching you change it every few minutes. She couldn’t bring you anywhere without breaking the Statute of Secrecy. Ginny loved it, of course. Said you looked just like her when your hair was red.”

Teddy managed a smile. “Nan tried so hard to teach me how to control it.”

“Of course, my favorite was how when you were little, you’d give yourself my scar.” Harry reached up to his forehead and touched the mark faintly.

“Merlin, how embarrassing.”

“You’d fly around on that toy broomstick I gave you for your birthday— do you remember that? Now _that_ drove Andromeda crazy. You’d fly around with my scar on your forehead, and Ginny would just roll her eyes. She always said that if you turned out anything like me, you’d be a hopeless disaster.”

“High praise from the love of your life,” laughed Teddy.

Harry grinned. “You know Gin. She puts me in my place.” He continued in an unconvincing impression of Ginny, “ _Just because you’re the Chosen One doesn’t mean you can’t do the bloody dishes!_ ”

Teddy smiled faintly. “Yeah.”

“Take a seat, Teddy.” Harry patted the spot next to him on the staircase.

Teddy obliged slowly. He took a sip of his tea as Harry went on.

“I was wondering what you think now about my offer. About working for me.”

Teddy sighed. “Honestly… I just don’t know anymore.”

“Know about what exactly?” He had an expectant look on his face.

Teddy pulled his lip between his teeth. “I just—“ He sighed, tugging at his hair. “I just don’t know!”

Harry clapped a reassuring hand on Teddy’s shoulder. “Come on, you know you can tell me anything.”

Teddy gave him a considering look. After a while, he sighed. “I’m too young to be a professor.”

Harry waited patiently for him to elaborate. Teddy groaned, unsure how to go on.

“I feel like I’ve just made a mistake! I— I want this job. Of course I do… it’s been my dream almost my whole life, you know that…”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“I— The students and I are too close in age! They don’t respect my authority and honestly, I feel like a bit of an idiot up there, anyway.” Teddy spluttered. “At my age, you were perfectly qualified to have this position, but I’m not even sure I’m qualified for it at all! When I took the entrance exam that Minerva gave me, I hadn’t even used half the spells on the test.”

Harry frowned. “Teddy, you’re not unqualified. You have a natural gift for defense. You know how much I wanted you to come work for me.”

“Maybe I should have done,” he grumbled. “Would have saved me a lot of trouble.”

“Is this about Dominique?”

His head snapped up. “What? No. How do you mean?”

A knowing smile crossed Harry’s face. “This is because you found her, isn’t it? You know, not even my top Aurors could pin her down. She always managed to slip away at the last moment. Not even I could find her. Honestly, it was a little embarrassing for me when Minerva called me and said you had run off tracking a lead and hadn’t come back.”

Teddy laughed, hoping it didn’t sound as nervous as he thought it sounded. “Yeah.”

The uselessness settled back in his gut, and the anxiety flicked back on like a light switch. He slumped against the railing. “No.”

“Then what is it, son?”

Teddy felt the reassurance crash across him like a wave. It always made his throat tighten a little when Harry said that. _Son_.

“I just feel like you’re all going to hate me when you find out.” He said, voice quite small.

“Hate you? Don’t be silly.”

Teddy scanned Harry’s face for a moment. He was patient, leaning forward and listening intently. There was no judgement on his face, but his lightning scar poked through his thinning hair. It stood out to Teddy like a glaring reminder that he did not quite belong.

“Sometimes, I feel like my place in this family is conditional… When I first starting dating Vic, everyone was so excited. They said I’d finally _really_ be part of the family, because I’d marry in. When we broke up, everything changed… It was easy to take the job at Hogwarts. It put some distance between me and everyone else, and I was grateful, because I felt like I somehow wasn’t welcome anymore.”

“Is that why you’re with Nina?” asked Harry.

Teddy stood abruptly, almost knocking his tea over. “What? I never said I was with her.”

Harry looked immediately sheepish, but he continued on. “It’s not exactly a complicated puzzle, is it? Even I managed to piece that one together. But, Teddy, if you’re only with her because you think it’s your ticket into the Weasley family, we’re going to have a problem.”

“I can’t believe you’d even say that,” snapped Teddy, suddenly defensive. “Is it so surprising I could want to be with her?”

“Well, a little,” admitted Harry. “I was shocked when you never came back. But that’s not really what I meant. Teddy, what in Merlin’s makes you think that you’re not already part of this family?”

Harry’s question hung in the air between them. Teddy recalled a rattling wardrobe, grimacing at the memory. He had never wanted to tell Harry, and yet there was no other way to describe the depth of his emotion.

He sighed, finding his seat. His voice wavered a little as he spoke. “Do you remember my third year? When you taught Defense?”

“Of course.”

“You did a lesson on boggarts. I ran away.”

Harry nodded.

Teddy found himself exhaling. “I never told you what my boggart was. I’d faced one before, you see. When I was a kid. I didn’t tell my Nan then, either. It was so embarrassing. And honestly, so frightening. I couldn’t imagine reliving it in front of my classmates.”

“That’s perfectly natural,” assured Harry.

“No, you don’t understand! It’s— it’s more than that… My boggart was _you_.”

Harry’s entire face fell, growing paler by the second. “What?”

Teddy continued quickly, perfectly aware of the heat in cheeks. “When I was a kid, that boggart under by bed was you. It said to me: _I wish Remus had never left you to me. You’re not my real son. You’ll never be my son_.”

Harry looked as if he’d been slapped. “Teddy, oh my God.”

Suddenly, Teddy felt tears pricking at his eyes. He made a concerted effort to hold them in.

“Look at me. First of all, there is _nothing_ you could do that would make me hate you. Second, I never wanted you to forget about Remus. He is your father. And you’re so like him in so many ways…”

The tears pushed harder against Teddy’s eyes.

“I don’t want to take his place,” Harry continued. “I never could. But in every other way, you are my _son_. I love you unconditionally. Unconditionally, do you hear me?”

Teddy nodded, eyes so watery he couldn’t even see. He felt a weight lifted off his chest so large that when he took a breath, he wondered if he had ever breathed this deep before. “I feel so lost. I’m so confused these days. I…”

Harry squeezed his hand. Teddy was having a hard time forming the words he needed to say in his. It was the first time he’d said them out loud. “I really like Nina,” he whispered. “And I think everyone will hate me for it.”

Harry’s expression changed, and Teddy looked away before he could see whether or not it was good or bad.

Harry squeezed his godson’s shoulders. “Love is nothing to be upset about.”

Teddy looked at him helplessly. “But Bill and Fleur— and _Victoire_! What are people going to say?”

“Look, there’s only one person in all of this that really matters. That’s Nina. And how does she feel about you?”

He knew how she felt. He didn’t have the words to do that kind of emotion justice.

“It— it doesn’t really matter. When she goes back to Hogwarts, I’ll be her professor. It’s wrong.”

“Well, you may have a point there,” Harry conceded. “But the year is almost over. And you know you always have a job with me.”

“That’s nepotism.” Teddy gave small smile.

He shrugged. “I _am_ the Chosen One. I can do what I like.”

Teddy erupted into laughter. “Harry!”

“Look, Teddy, I’m serious. As long as the two of you are happy, sod what anyone else thinks. You know you have Ginny and I on your side. Always. I reckon I could take Bill in a duel, if it came down to it,” he joked.

“What about Fleur?” teased Teddy.

Harry frowned. “I might have to leave her to your mother.” Harry seemed to realize what he said too late, and spluttered, “I— I mean Ginny—“

All over again, Teddy felt like crying. “It’s not like you’re replacing them, you know… I don’t remember them. I remember you and Ginny and Nan. And you had no shortage of stories about them. But… you were the ones who were _here_.”

The front door swung open. Teddy craned to the intruder, changing his face to erase all evidence of his watering eyes.

It was Ginny who appeared on the other side of the door, looking very much like she was about to cry. “I was eavesdropping,” she whispered.

“Ginny,” scolded Harry.

“Teddy,” she sighed, ignoring her husband. She sat down on the staircase on the other side of her godson, who let his glamour fall, allowing the puffiness and redness to return to his cheeks.

She pulled him against her chest. He relaxed into her, allowing her to pull him into the all-consuming embrace only mothers can give. No matter that he was about half a foot taller than her; no matter how broad his shoulders; Ginny always found a way to make him tuck perfectly under her chin.

“Harry is right,” she whispered in his ear, so that his godfather couldn’t hear. “We’re always team Teddy.”

Finally, he let himself really cry.


	31. The Trial of Dominque Weasley

Nina had lost track of the time. Days had passed, she was sure. She tried to measure them in visits from her family or meals, but she kept losing track. She kept falling asleep. When she would wake up, she would have no clue of the time. Sometimes, she wouldn’t remember where she was. Then, a distant scream would echo against the cold stone, and Nina would blink back into existence.

When an Auror came to her cell that particular day, Nina had almost laughed. She recognized him well. The day the Anamban went missing, two Aurors had come on the scene. It had been strange deviation from their normal rule of threes, but that was not why Nina remembered them. There had been a tall one and a short one, and each was as thick as the next.

This one, the short one, stuck a key into her cell door and turned it. “Today’s your trial, Weasley.”

“Do I get a change of clothes?” she asked.

She thought Fleur would certainly be displeased at the idea of her daughter walking to a courtroom in the gray, striped uniform of an Azkaban prisoner. Nothing screamed “guilty” quite like the sight of it.

He snorted. “No, get up. The boat is waiting.”

The boat was waiting for them at the docks. The other prisoners in holding cells had leered and screamed when Nina walked past, but she had done her best to keep her chin up. When they made it outside, the fresh air was overwhelming. Nina breathed deep before taking a seat in the boat. There were two other Aurors with them. To her delight, the tall one was there, along with another Auror she did not know. She was glad to have the set, at least. It felt almost poetic that the two Aurors that caught her the first time were delivering her to her trial.

The boat ride back to the mainland was long, despite the magical propelling on their boat. She passed it in silence, but she did think up a witty comeback to every stupid thing they said around her. Even if she did not say them.

When the boat docked, they did not lend her a hand to climb out.

“Come on,” said the short one, jerking her chains. “The apparition zone is this way.”

The four of them had locked arms and disappeared with a crack. They landed in the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic.

“Bit public, don’t you think?” asked Nina. Hundreds of wizards bustled through, along with just as many floating paper airplanes above them.

“You’re not exactly a secret, now are you?”

Nina shut her mouth after that.

The shackles at her hands and feet made her strides slow, but the Aurors at her sides tugged her along. Heads turned on a swivel as she walked past.

_Is that—?_

_Merlin, that’s Dominique Weasley!_

_Dark magic—_

She caught sections of whispers before she pushed past them. She didn’t let herself blush. She kept her chin up. She was innocent, and they’d all find out soon enough.

Eventually, the Aurors lead her into a courtroom. It was full already. In the stands, Nina could see her parents and all her cousins. And Iskra, who was crying already. At least her mother wasn’t crying, and for that, Nina was thankful. She was frowning, though, as she watched Nina escorted across the floor in chains.

At the front of the stands, was Teddy. He offered her a reassuring smile, and she returned one. The Aurors showed her to her seat. Her chains clanged loudly against the chair as she sat.

The Wizengamot was a wide array of wizards. She recognized a few— her grandfather Arthur, former minister Kinglsey Shacklebolt, Professor Longbottom, Draco Malfoy, and Uncle Harry, sitting to the left of a lady who Nina recognized to be the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Madam Abbot. They all wore dark plum robes, bearing an emblem of an ornate silver _W._ Nina had never seen her grandfather look so formal.

Bill had said once that the head of every prestigious family got a seat on the Wizengamot. It was pureblood waffle, held over from the old days, that guaranteed every member of twenty-eight most famous pureblood families a seat on the council. Bill was next in line after her grandfather, who currently held the seat. Nina remembered him saying that he was trying to skive off the obligation; he kept writing Uncle Percy to take up Headship after Arthur died. Next to Grandpa Arthur was Kinglsey Shacklebolt. Kingsley was Head of the Shacklebolts, another pureblood family. Similarly, Neville was Head of the Longbottoms, and Draco was Head of the Malfoys. But Uncle Harry, who was Head Auror, got a seat on the basis of merit.

There were a few other Ministry figures that Nina recognized from her textbooks, but she did not know them by name.

Madam Abbot hit her gavel hard against the table. Nina straightened at the sound, staring wide eyed at the Chief Warlock. She had a grim expression on her face, lips pressed into a fine line as she eyed the whole courtroom.

“Welcome,” she said, “to the first day of the trial of Dominique Weasley. We have two witnesses today: Dominique Weasley and Edward Lupin…” She consulted what must have been a stack of notes at her desk. “There has been no approved warrant for the use of veritaserum or memory projection. I shall let the prosecution begin, and then the defense may follow suit. Are there any questions or last minute pieces of evidence from either party?”

Madam Abbot directed her stern gaze to the two solicitors. Neither of them made a move, but Nina spotted her solicitor’s leg bouncing under the table. It did not seem like an omen of success.

“Very well,” said Madam Abbot. “ I should like to call the accused to the stand. Auror Stodge, if you could assist Miss Weasley.”

An Auror to the left of Nina jumped to her feet, grabbing Nina firmly by the shoulder and pulling her in the direction of the stand. As Nina walked, her chains scraped against the floor. A loud screech echoed in the courtroom until Nina finally sat in the chair.

From this angle, she could see her family more clearly in the stands. Somehow, it was scarier than watching the whole Wizengamot.

“The prosecution may begin.”

“What was the nature of your relationship with Professor Lupin?” The prosecutor circled like a hawk.

Nina knit her brows. “Sorry, what does this have to do with anything? I thought we were here to discuss Jackson Bane.”

“Miss Weasley,” frowned Madam Abbot.

“Sorry, sorry… My relationship with Teddy was largely ordinary. Friendly, I suppose.”

It was not a lie. It had been _largely_ ordinary. Just not _exclusively_ ordinary. In the timeline of their relationship, it had only been the past few days with any hint of romance. She was sure what it all meant. There’d been no conversations about it at all.

“Were you not in a relationship with Professor Lupin during your time on the run?”

“Call it what you want,” said Nina with a sigh, “but that’s not how _I’d_ describe it.”

“Miss Weasley, this is not a ball, so I suggest you stop dancing around the questions,” snapped Madam Abbot.

Nina heard someone snicker in the crowd. She tried to clamp down a smile that was sneaking onto her face.

“Sorry, Madam Chief Warlock. As I said, my relationship with Professor Lupin was largely ordinary. Things obviously changed when he tried to come bring me back. That’s hardly a normal student-teacher dynamic.”

“Because of the romance?”

“Objection, Madam Chief Warlock, she is harassing my witness!” Nina’s solicitor stood, pointing childishly at the prosecutor.

Madam Abbot pursed her lips in contemplation. “Sustained. Scratch it from the record.”

The Quick-Quotes Quill hovering next to Madam Abbot drew a heavy line across the floating parchment. Nina exhaled in relief.

“What compelled you to flee your family home?”

Nina swallowed hard. “I heard Minister Granger-Weasley say that it was unlikely that the Wizengamot would let me free, regardless of my innocence. It seemed like I had no choice.”

“But you showed little resistance when the Aurors came to get you in Romania. Why the change of heart?”

“Because of Jackson Bane. He has the Anamban, and he’s—“

“Please, Miss Weasley, this story you have crafted about Jackson Bane is absolutely delusional! What was your relationship with him before the crime took place?”

Nina clenched her fist. “It was never said outright, but he made me think we were in a relationship.”

“But that was not the case in the end?”

“No,” began Nina, but she was swiftly cut off.

“So, we have a jilted girl upset that a boy didn’t like her back. Perhaps more than one! Honestly, this is a wild goose chase!”

Nina clenched her jaw tightly. “This is such bullshit! You’re not asking me real questions!”

“Miss Weasley,” said Madam Abbot in a warning tone. “I will hold you in contempt.”

“I’m already in Azkaban,” she mumbled. “Not sure how much worse it can get.”

Someone snickered again from the crowd, and Nina felt oddly relieved by the sound. It felt like a reminder that she was not entirely alone in this. She tried to scan the crowd to see who it was, but she couldn’t spot them.

“No further questions,” said the prosecutor, pursing her lips at Nina.

Madam Abbot gestured for the defense to go on, and Nina found herself relaxing as her solicitor rose from her table. She asked hard questions— the kind that made Nina wince as she told the story— but far ones. Nina answered to the best of her ability, painting for the members of the Wizengamot the true story of Jackson Bane.

She couldn’t see their faces, but she heard many scratching quills behind her. She tried to take it as a good sign. And when Madam Abbot finally dismissed her to her seat, Nina stared bravely at the stand where she had just testified, hoping to share whatever boldness she could with Teddy Lupin.

* * *

When they called Teddy to the stand, he made his way down the bleachers with as much dignity as he could muster. He settled into the seat Nina had just sat in and waited. He could already hear his heartbeat in his ears, and he tried to will himself to be calm. He hadn’t been half this nervous when Alan had come, raining fire on them last week. And what could possibly be more scary? The Wizengamot or a dragon?

When Madam Abbot gestured for the prosecutor to rise and begin his interrogation, Teddy realized with a gulp that this _was_ far scarier than any dragon.

“What is your relationship with the accused?”

Teddy looked, panicked, between Nina and his almost-family in the stands. He couldn’t lie, but the truth felt oddly hard to explain. How could he explain the complexity of the feelings he’d developed? How could he explain them without anybody else thinking he was a monster? She was six years younger than him. She was his ex-student. The possibility of scandal loomed heavy in the air, but he swallowed hard.

“Well, it’s a bit complicated,” he said.

The lawyer narrowed her eyes. “I think we’ll manage to follow along.”

Teddy nearly squeaked, but he nodded quickly. “Of course. When I went to follow Nina, we were nothing more than friendly. Things changed over the course of our time together.”

“But the accused had feelings for you, correct?”

“Well, yes. But I didn’t reciprocate them at the time.”

“And you do now?”

Teddy hesitated, casting his eyes across the room to Nina’s family. To the Potters, too, who were looking expectantly at him.

“Yes,” he said.

A gasp ripped across the crowd. Even Hermione, sitting regally among the Wizengamot, dropped her jaw a little. He met Nina’s eyes. She beamed at him, and he relaxed a little.

“So, don’t you think that gives you a bias?”

“Objection!” protested Nina’s lawyer immediately. “That’s a leading question.”

“Sustain—“ began Madam Abbot, just as the prosecutor smirked and said, “Withdrawn.”

“Strike that from the record then,” said Madam Abbot wearily, and her Quick-Quotes Quill drew a heavy line across the parchment.

The damage, however, was done. The members of the Wizengamot looked between themselves, murmuring quietly.

“What lead you to find Miss Weasley on the run?” asked the prosecutor instead.

“Erm, a few things. First, Auror Potter had approached me about being a Ministry informant during my time at Hogwarts. He said… well, he said that I should use Nina’s feelings for me to our advantage. Then, her sister asked me to keep an eye out for her.”

“And you had a relationship with Victoire Weasley?”

Teddy stuttered. “Y-yeah, but that was a few years ago now.”

“How long were you together?”

“Five years.”

“Hmm,” said the prosecutor. “Seems like you have a taste for Weasley girls.”

Teddy felt himself flush.

“I will hold you in contempt,” said Madam Abbot warningly.

The prosecutor lifted her hands defensively. “Is that all that lead you to follow Miss Weasley?”

“No,” said Teddy, losing more confidence by the minute. “Albus Potter, Louis Weasley, and Rose Granger-Weasley came to me one day. They were convinced of her innocence. They told me to look to other students in the class.”

“And were you aware, at that time, that Headmistress McGonagall said she only saw one person at the scene of the crime?”

“Yes.”

“So you took to the word of three fourteen year olds as gospel?”

“Well, um— they made a very convincing argument—“

“So, this is what led you to your theory about Jackson Bane? The very same that Miss Weasley has been spouting on the stand?”

“Yes. It all adds up if you take into account—“

“If you ask me,” said the prosecutor to the members of the Wizengamot, “this sounds to me like Professor Lupin found a convenient excuse to pin the blame on someone else. He is clearly lying about not having feelings for the accused before they ran away together. He must have invented the story of Jackson Bane— after being inspired by the ridiculous ideas of those children— for Miss Weasley to say on the stand, so that he can continue on his preposterous quest to make his way through all the Weasley girls!”

Teddy was shocked out of coherent speech. “I— I would _never,_ I—“

“No further questions, Madam Abbot,” said the prosecutor, cutting through Teddy’s words harshly.

“Very well, the defense may proceed.”

When Nina’s lawyer approached the stand, Teddy gave short answers. As quick and quiet as he could, revealing as little as possible.

He wasn’t helping her case. He was only making it worse with his stupid mouth. He couldn’t manage a sentence— he’d let the prosecution rip him apart, and Nina was paying the price.

And what if he did have a bias? He looked distantly at Nina, who was scowling into the table. He knew she was innocent. He _believed_ her. Nina didn’t even know what the Anamban was until a few days ago… How could she have done it?

But maybe he wasn’t being impartial in his testimony. If they asked him about Jackson’s character, he didn’t know if what he’d say would be fair. Maybe he _was_ blinded by his feelings for her.

His thoughts were in knots, so tightly wound he had no clue of what was up or down anymore. When the defense finally let up their questioning and set Teddy free, he tried desperately to meet Nina’s eyes. She was staring flatly at the desk, lips fixed in a scowl. He made his way back up to the bleachers, where Ginny clapped a hand on his back, but where he could feel the eyes of the whole Weasley clan drilling into his head.

It wasn’t until Madam Abbot had spoken again that Teddy remembered that he’d neglected to mention Iskra Krum.

* * *

When Madam Abbot drew an end to the day’s deliberations, Nina felt a swell of anxiety in her chest. The day in the courtroom had been awful, but Azkaban was worse. Far worse.

Two Aurors lifted her up by the armpits, and a third stood behind her, pressing a wand into the back of her head. She tried to flinch out of their grasp, but they only held on tighter. Every part of her wanted to scream and cry and beg to never go back there again. She couldn’t bear the idea of another minute alone in that charcoal abyss.

She whimpered, but the Aurors did not back down. She tried to reason with her beating heart. She tried to compel herself to be brave.

The rest of the room had hardly started to move when they began to lead her out of the courtroom. Her chains made her strides small, and she struggled to keep the ambitious pace they’d set.

“Nina!” Teddy yelled from across the courtroom.

She did not turn back. Even if she wanted to, the Aurors had such a firm grip on her that she could not possibly move. The Aurors pushed the door to the hallway open.

They approached a guarded room with an unsuspecting sign on the door that read ‘Apparation Zone.’

 _Don’t scream_ , she reminded herself. _Don’t cry._

She had her cheek drawn so tightly between her teeth that she could taste blood in her mouth. One of the Aurors opened the door to the Apparition Zone.

_Don’t let them think that you are anything less than brave._

They disappeared with a crack.

Eventually, the fear faded. It had been a rush of emotion at first, but it subsided as the boat ride went on. It wasn’t Nina’s bravery that made it disappear, but the numbing realization that there was nothing she could do. And that she had no other option than to be okay with it.

When they threw her back in her cell, she lay flat on her bed, staring at the ceiling.When the guards came to offer her food, she snarled at them like some wild creature. Something about this place brought out the beast in her.

She was not sure how much time had passed since returning from her trial. The sun had not begun to set, but it felt like it had been ages. Nina turned on her side, away from the bars of her cell, and curled up in a ball.

“Hey Nina?” someone asked, rapping the cell bars lightly. “You free to talk?”

She bolted upright, surprised to see Victoire appear on the other side of the bars of her cell. She looked out of place, cast in shades of pink and white, bright against the gray of the prison.

Nina still felt like a wild animal, like she did not trust her body to keep her from jumping or running with any sign of trouble. She felt the energy and anxiety in her veins before she felt it in her mind. It was instinctual, not intentional. Still, she found herself nodding.

“Sure,” she said. She did not recognize her own voice.

Victoire looked so different from the last time Nina had seen her at Shell Cottage. Vic’s hair was shorter— almost as short as Nina’s. She was plumper, softer around the edges, but her cheekbones were just as high and regal as ever. And on her left hand, she wore a small, unadorned, silver ring.

“Hey,” she said.

Nina managed a nod. “Hi.”

Her sister leaned against the wall across from her. “I’ve missed you.”

“I missed you, too,” whispered Nina.

She noticed her sister treating her like a stray cat she had to tame, but Nina did not mind so much. She felt understood, not corralled. And not patronized, despite the soft tones in which Victoire spoke.

“You did great at the trial,” she remarked. “You made Aleks laugh. It drove Dad bonkers, though.”

She felt herself smile at the idea of Aleksander Krum snorting into his hand to avoid a stare down from her father. “Who else was there?”

“Iskra, of course. Started crying the second she saw you. Unconsolable, the poor thing. All the cousins and their parents, too. Aunt Hermione wasn’t in the visitor stands, of course, but everyone else was. Ginny looked almost as mad as Dad. Rose was taking notes. _Notes_.”

Nina laughed, and the energy in her veins began to calm. “I can picture it now.”

Victoire’s smile fell slightly. She wrung her hands.

“Look, there was something I wanted to talk to you about.”

Nina felt a familiar sort of dread begin in the pit of her stomach. “What is it?” she asked, but she knew the answer.

“Well… why didn’t you ever tell me you had feelings for Ted?”

Nina blinked. She had been expecting this theme, but not this question.

“Why would I? You two were so happy. I wanted you to be happy.Besides… he’s older than me, I didn’t think it was even possible…”

“ _Nina_. Do you honestly think that my relationship with him was more important than my relationship with you? We were so close the whole time I was dating him… It must have hurt you more than I could ever imagine.”

Nina pulled her arms across herself. “I would never have made you pick.”

“It hurt me to hear that you liked him,” admitted Victoire. “Not because I was jealous or angry, but because it hurt me to think that you’d endured almost five years of that kind of heartache. And you never said anything… I would have kept my distance, made it less obvious around you…”

“Don’t be silly,” Nina said shortly. “Besides, what’s done is done.”

Victoire shifted uncomfortably against the wall. A brief silence hung in the air.

“Did anything happen between you two? While you were on the run? He said he had feelings for you.”

This was the question she had been expecting. Her chest lurched with the memory of the cobblestone streets of Dragoste, and the most tender kiss she’d ever received. _“Teddy,”_ she had breathed.

Nina nodded small, as if the gesture hurt her neck. Victoire inhaled sharply. She stood, slowly pacing the small corridor.

“I started it,” said Nina quickly. “I kissed him when we were at Hogwarts. He rejected me, but I put the idea in his head.”

When Victoire turned to meet her eyes, Nina was expecting a reproachful stare. She was expecting electric blue eyes glaring down at her; the implication of betrayal; a feeling of resentment. Instead, Victoire had her lips pursed in contemplation.

“Ted is… an interesting sort of guy,” she said. “He’s brilliant, but he is not a fast-paced thinker about almost anything. ”

Nina nodded, a little confused.

“He requires guidance. He… he didn’t ask me out for _ages_. Not until I told him to.”

“I remember.”

Victoire finally leaned against the wall, watching her sister on the bed thoughtfully. “I think you and I are alike in a lot of ways, Nina.”

At the very least, thought Nina shrewdly, they had the same taste in men. The thought almost bubbled into laughter, but she bit her cheek.

“We are both the kind of women who cannot spend their time waiting on a man. To draw conclusions, to make a move, to do… anything. Ted and I were not well suited to each other because of that,” she sighed. “I loved him. You know I did, but we weren’t meant to be. We spent half our time screaming at each other. Well, _I_ was screaming. He’s sensitive, and I am not. I don’t think you are, either. I just don’t want you to tumble into this head-first because you’ve spent seven years loving him in your head.”

It felt like a punch in the stomach. It shouldn’t have; she was mad at him. He was working for the Ministry. The thought of him made her stomach bubble in anger.

But he had kissed her _…_ In Dragoste, he grabbed her like he could not help himself anymore. If he was not a fast-paced thinker, he had certainly made a fast move. And at Quigley’s Point, he had breathed her name into the night air, holding her tight.

Nina watched as Victoire gnawed on her bottom lip, brows knit in concern.

“I want you to know,” continued Victoire. “That if pursue a relationship with him, I would not mind. I wouldn’t think it was terribly weird or anything like that. I just want you to think, before you get to that point, about whether or not Teddy is the kind of guy you could see yourself being with.”

“I…” began Nina, stopping as she lost confidence. “I don’t know that I ever want to see him again, Vic.”

“What?” Victoire stood up from against the wall. “Why?”

“You heard him on the stands,” said Nina. “He’s a Ministry informant. I should have seen it from the start! He found out where I was and tried to get me to come back. When I refused, he said he was coming until I changed my mind. He spent so much time in Romania with me trying to find a legal defense. He wanted to know everything about that night because he was working for them!” She felt hot tears spill onto her cheeks. “Not because he cared about _me_.”

Victoire sighed in relief, and Nina only grew more angry.

“But I suppose that’d make you happy, wouldn’t it? To know that I’ll never have him.”

Victoire frowned. “What are you on about? No, I’m not happy that you’re mad at him! I’m happy because you’re wrong!”

Nina blinked. “What do you mean?”

“Nina,” said Victoire, as if it were obvious, “Teddy said he was _approached_ about being a Ministry informant. Not that he accepted!”

“That’s not what he made it sound like.”

“Teddy is not brilliant with words. I’m sure you’ve gathered that by now.”

Nina groaned. “He hardly said _anything_ up there. How could he have spent weeks researching and thinking about my case, only utterly fail on the stand? He has to know more than he let on! That bloody solicitor must have scared him.”

“She was scary.”

“I managed.”

“That’s not the same, and you know it. Look, I want you to think about who he is as person and the way you fit together. Not the quality of his testimony. You said yourself: that solicitor intimidated him. And, Nina, things might be different tomorrow. Your solicitors are researching as we speak.”

“But I’m still in Azkaban, and nobody has asked Jackson to come to the stand yet.”

“They might tomorrow,” said Victoire reassuringly. She paused. “But, Teddy won’t be there. Harry told Dad, who then told me.”

“Oh,” she managed. She was mad at him, but she didn’t want him to stay away. He was a beacon of blue light, something she could always search for.

“I can write to him, if you want,” offered Victoire. “Convince him to come tomorrow.”

“No,” said Nina with a firm shake of her head. “I’ll— I’ll talk to him. I’ll find a way.”


	32. An Unlikely Reunion

It was not long after Teddy got back to the Potter house that the doorbell rang. It had been a few hours at most, and Teddy was entirely unprepared for social interaction. He felt like a churning sea, emotion sloshing around inside him in the most uncomfortable of ways.

On the one hand, he felt two tonnes lighter after speaking with Harry and Ginny. It was a weight he hardly recognized he had been carrying. It had been growing heavier every passing year, beginning that fateful day he found the boggart under his bed.

On the other hand, the trial had been a disaster. He was a failure.

When the doorbell rang, Teddy had hardly noticed the sound. He heard, faintly, the pattering of loud feet. They were definitely James’s; only James could make that much noise for no particular reason.

He didn’t recognize the sound until Harry’s muffled voice came up the staircase. “Victoire? What are you doing here?”

Then, Teddy sat straight up. He crept to the door, hoping her voice would carry up the staircase.

“I came to see Teddy.”

“Oh, well, he’s in his room. You can go up. Knock first, he’s been… busy.”

Teddy had “busy” alternating between staring at the ceiling and trodding a hole in the carpet of his bedroom floor. He appreciated Harry’s generous interpretation.

He waited for the knock to come with furrowed brows. Victoire had not come to the Potter house to see him since they were both in Hogwarts. Her visit now felt unprompted. It set him on edge.

The knock came.

“Come in,” said Teddy.

She opened the door with her usual elegance, closing it shut. She wore mauve robes, long and sleek, that complimented her coloring nicely.

“Hi,” she said flatly. “Hope now’s a good time.”

Teddy shrugged. “It’s fine.”

“Look, I’m just going to cut right to the chase here.” Victoire crossed her arms. “Nina thinks you’re some sort of Ministry informant.”

Teddy blinked. “How’d she get that idea? I said that I wasn’t.”

“No, you didn’t. I gathered that you weren’t, but that wasn’t what you _said._ You said you were approached by the Ministry to be an informant.”

“But I never said I actually _did_ it.”

“Yes, but you never said that you didn’t, either. She was really hurt, actually, the poor thing.”

“I didn’t mean to upset her,” said Teddy, feeling a little hurt himself. The day was feeling like an ever-climbing pile of failures.

“You never do,” said Victoire.

He looked at her for a moment, unsure what she meant. She did not elaborate. He felt a familiar frustration begin behind his ribs.

Teddy sighed. “I messed it all up so badly today. They had me all confused, and I let everyone down.”

“You did,” agreed Victoire. Somehow, her tone was not cruel. It was matter-of-fact sympathetic all at once. She took a seat on the chair at his desk.

“Is that all you came here to say?” he asked shortly.

“Merlin, she’s rubbing off on you,” blinked Victoire. “You never used to bite back.”

He found himself flushing. Honestly, he wasn’t sure if it was more Nina’s influence or Blarney's.

“Don’t be embarrassed, it’s… interesting. You’ve changed a lot in the past few years.”

“So have you, Mrs. Krum,” he said quietly.

It was Victoire’s turn to blush. “Look, I—“

“You don’t owe me an explanation,” said Teddy kindly. “You’re happy. I’m happy for you.”

She let out an exasperated noise. “Ted, that’s just it! You can’t— you can’t let people walk all over you for the rest of your life. You let me walk all over you for _years_. I feel bad about that, and I’ve learned my lesson, but it seems you have not. You let that prosecutor treat you like a welcome mat today.”

“It wasn’t you on the stand,” snapped Teddy. “You don’t understand what it was like up there. You can’t just waltz into my life after ignoring me for _years_ to come criticize me about trying to save your sister. I care about her, too.”

“I wasn’t ignoring you,” she protested, standing up sharply. She pointed a manicured finger at him. “You ran away. I wanted to be your friend; you wouldn’t let me. Do you know how much I missed you? You were my best friend.”

“You broke my heart!” Teddy yelled.

She had done more than break his heart; she had shattered it. He spent years looking for all of the fragments of what it used to be. He tried to glue them back together with things that were safe. Hogwarts. Defense. Distance. His heart had coalesced into something different. Every seam formed scar tissue until his heart had taken on a new shape.

“You seem to have recovered just fine,” she snapped.

It stung like a slap across the face. “So have you,” he bit back.

“I thought you were happy for me?”

“Christ, Victoire! I’m trying to be, but you keep making it so bloody difficult!”

Victoire stared at him for a moment, processing, before she broke into deep laughter. She flushed pink, clutching her stomach, and the sight of it startled Teddy so much that he had blink. Finally, he cracked a smile of his own. 

“We really weren’t meant for each other, were we?” she asked ruefully.

He shook his head. It had taken him far too long to realize what had always been true. “I’m afraid not.”

He used to think the aftermath left his heart malformed. But he had been wrong— his heart was never malformed; it had simply been reformed. Stronger now and more perfectly suited for someone he hadn’t known was waiting for him.

Victoire smiled. “Nina’s lucky. You’re a great man to have loved.”

Teddy frowned. “She’s mad at me, though.”

“No,” said Victoire with a shake of her head. “I don’t think she is anymore. I think she was just frustrated. You held so much back at the trial. After the prosecution questioned you, you kind of just shut down. Anyway, I told her she was being ridiculous.”

“Vic, I still don’t know if I should come tomorrow. Things are still quite tense with everyone.”

“Look, she told me she’d find a way to get in contact with you. She wants you there. But, Ted, she’s in Azkaban. There’s no way she’ll be able to get in touch with you.”

Teddy swallowed. “Are you saying I should come?”

“I’m saying there’s still time to fix your mistakes today.”

Teddy blinked. “Wait, say that again?”

She furrowed her brows. “I said that you can still fix the mistakes you made today.”

A cog was turning in his brain. Victoire quirked her head. “Teddy, are you alright?”

“I’m thinking,” he said quietly. “I left things out; you were right. I… I was so caught up in my head. The prosecution said I was biased, and I let it get to me. I didn’t want to make her chances worse by saying things they could turn against me. I’m trying to think, but I’m not quite sure how I can fix it yet.”

“That’s what you were caught up about?” asked Victoire. “I was so sure it was the thing about making your way through the Weasley girls!”

Teddy flushed. “Well, that wasn’t ideal, either.”

Victoire set a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “I told Nina, and I’ll tell you, too. I don’t think it’s weird that you’re together. I have my concerns, but they’re not about you… in particular. If Mum and Dad don’t like it, then they’ll just have to get used to it.”

Teddy took a second to respond, caught off guard by the glowing approval. “Well, erm, thanks.”

“And Ted,” said Victoire seriously. “The idea that your bias makes you an unreliable witness is just… ludicrous. You were still there when nobody else was. Don’t let them take that away from you. She’s getting paid to mess with your head; you’re only letting her win by staying silent.”

“And if I say something and they don’t believe me?”

“You will have done everything you could have,” she said firmly. “And that’s important, too. You’re a Hufflepuff, you should know that better than anyone.”

“But… how do I fix it? My testimony has already been taken.”

“Uncle Harry,” said Victoire, like he was stupid. “He is Head Auror, after all. If you come forth with new information, by law, he has to submit it. He’ll have it turned in before sundown if you tell him now.”

“Victoire, you’re an absolute genius.”

“Well, don’t say it like you’re _surprised.”_

* * *

Victoire left soon after, and Teddy, suddenly emboldened, found himself knocking at the door to Harry’s study, tucked away in the attic of the Potter house. Harry’s study was never to be entered, save by Ginny, as it held artifacts that were just as dangerous as they were fascinating. Harry seemed to be of the opinion that his children couldn’t keep out of trouble; they could not be trusted around artifacts like those.

Teddy thought he was quite right, thinking back to Louis, Albus, and Rose entering his office in a panic. Nobody knew trouble quite like the Potters or the Weasleys.

The door was always locked by a particular charm. It opened only to Harry, Ginny, Ron or Hermione. It seemed to recognize their very blood. He’d seen in happen dozens of times, so Teddy did the prudent thing and knocked heavily.

“Not now, James,” said Harry tiredly. “I’m busy.”

“It’s not James!” said Teddy, trying to muster as much urgency as possible in his tone. “It’s Teddy. I need to talk to you.”

The door opened at once. Harry was obscuring the majority of the study with his body, but Teddy caught a glimpse of a heavy wooden desk in the background.

“What is it?” In typical Harry fashion, his face was painted in concern.

“There were some things that didn’t come up in the trial today. They’re crucial to proving Nina’s story.”

Harry sighed. “Come in, then.”

Teddy blinked. “Really?”

He stepped aside. “Really.”

Harry’s office was a mess. It almost made Teddy laugh to see it just as scattered as his office always was. Papers and old cups of tea seemed to have formed their own mountain on the left side of Harry’s desk. A large pensieve was opposite the small window, overlooking the front garden. There were bookcases everywhere they could fit, though some of them held artifacts in glass containers or shadowboxes. A heavy file cabinet sat next to Harry’s desk, with large, ornate locks on each drawer. The whole attic was bigger than Teddy had imagined it, though he wondered if that was magic and not the actual proportions of the room.

“It looks different than I imagined,” Teddy found himself saying.

“Does it?” asked Harry absently, taking a seat at his desk. 

“It looks mostly like a normal office. I don’t know; I guess I imagined it to look more like Minerva’s office.”

“Decorating has never been my strong suit,” grinned Harry. “Now, you were saying?”

“I have information about how I came to find Nina,” repeated Teddy. “It… didn’t come up in today’s testimony.”

Harry stood back up, stalking across the room to his tall, golden pensieve. He opened it without ceremony, and the glass phials of memories rattled against the metal. Teddy blinked at the vast collection; there were memories going back all the way to the late 1980s. They all were labeled neatly, in handwriting Teddy seriously doubted was Harry’s.

The memories on the inner shelves of the pensieve weren’t even the entirety of the collection. There were more sets of phials, stood up straight like chemistry sets, under the basin of the penseive itself. The sets had names underneath them. He recognized Albus Dumbledore and Aberforth Dumbledore, but was surprised to see Ron and Hermione’s names on the sets, too.

“It’s something I picked up from Professor Dumbledore,” said Harry, almost embarrassed. “Keeping memories. And trying to keep them as soon as I make them. Some of these are old, but the fresher the memory the better. You can watch it again and again with the same vibrancy as the very moment they happened.”

Teddy caught sight of a phial titled _Potter Wedding— August 2000_. He smiled.

“How do you do it? How to you know you’ve got the right memory?” asked Teddy, redirecting his gaze to his godfather.

“I couldn’t explain it to you if I tried. It’s just one of those things that makes sense. There’s no spell or anything. Just put the wand to your head and pull.”

Teddy gave him a brief, stupefied look before he pulled his wand from his pocket. He set it against his temple, trying to grab all the memories of the things he had said, and the things he had forgotten to say. When he pulled the wand from his temple, he did not just move it away. Somehow, without understanding how he’d done it, Teddy felt a string pull in the recess of his mind. It was an odd sensation. The string pulled and pulled until he felt it leave through his temple. He moved his hand away from his head to see a bright, silvery strand of memory attached to his wand.

Harry stepped away from the basin of the penseive, and Teddy dropped in the memory. It looked like ink poured into water; the memory billowed out in plumes of iridescent silver until the water gave off a gentle glow.

“Together?” asked Harry, approaching the edge of the basin.

“Together,” nodded Teddy.

He put his head to the water. He had a distinct feeling of falling, until he appeared upright at his seat in the Great Hall. The memory had the same quality of looking through a ward. It was clear enough, and bright, but something was obviously different about this. It was clearly not real.

He looked over at Harry. He looked comfortable, despite how strange the whole thing felt to Teddy. He was still wearing his sweatpants and an old Holyhead Harpies shirt. It was so strange to see Harry like this in the Great Hall that Teddy almost laughed.

He was overlooking the students at lunch one afternoon. Next to him, an open newspaper had a bolded headline: VICTOIRE MARRIED! SECRET WEDDING TO QUIDDITCH STAR ALEKSANDER KRUM. Teddy realized with a jolt what this memory was. He looked across the Great Hall to the Gryffindor table. Just as he expected, silverware came clattering to the floor. Iskra was covered in food, put she put her hands to her face in shame.

_“Poor girl,” tutted Filius in the memory._

“What’s this?” asked Harry, frowning at Teddy.

“Wait,” said Teddy quickly, just as his memory said, _“How’s she been in your classes, Filius?”_

_“Tired. I think she’s fallen asleep every day this week…”_

With a flash, the memory changed. Suddenly, Teddy and Harry were standing beside Teddy’s memory in the Defense classroom. Iskra, who still had food on her robes, sat in front of the three of them, frowning at her shoes.

_“Your Imperius essay wasn’t up to your normal standard,” said Teddy in his memory._

_“Sorry, sir,” whispered Iskra. “My mind was elsewhere.”_

The rest of the memory zoomed past, and suddenly, it was another day. They were still in the Defense room, but the door slammed open to reveal Louis, Albus, and Rose.

“Oh Albus,” Harry sighed. “What have you done this time?”

_Rose dropped the books on the table._

_“We were researching how to save Nina,” said Louis in the memory, “when we heard some professors talking about it.”_

“About what?” interjected Harry.

“The house elves,” said Teddy, frowning.

_Memory-Teddy responded. “Louis, think for a second. Why would any teacher discuss something like that with students around? You clearly misheard.”_

_Albus shoved the corner of something silvery into his bag._

Harry laughed, “I should be more mad at him, but honestly, I was just the same when I was at Hogwarts.”

_“How did you get that?” asked memory-Teddy._

_“The backpack? I suppose Mum bought it for me in Diagon Alley,” said Albus, a little sheepish._

“He sounds just like you,” said Teddy, looking at Harry.

“Yeah,” said Harry, smiling softly. “He does.”

Teddy in the memory said something, but they had spoken over it. They heard Rose squeak. _“You had the cloak? But — Teddy — you were Head Boy!”_

Harry burst into laughter. The memory zoomed to later in the same conversation.

_“Sorry, what does this have to do with house elves?” asked memory-Teddy._

_Rose let out an impatient noise. “Honestly, Teddy, sometimes I wonder how you made it to be a professor. Think. If Hagrid’s seen someone wandering the woods, house elves have gone missing, and that stupid amulet still hasn’t been found, the answer is obvious: someone still has it.”_

_“That’s… an incredibly serious accusation, Rose.”_

_Albus cut in. “You taught advanced Unlocking Charms at the end of sixth year, didn’t you?” He slid a paper across the table._

_Memory-Teddy grabbed it, nodding. “Yeah, I did, but how did you..?”_

_“I stole your lesson plan during our last Defense class,” admitted Louis. “I gave it right back!”_

_“Louis—“_

_Albus carried on before memory-Teddy could speak. “Only someone with enough knowledge of advanced Unlocking Charms would have known how to bypass the Gargoyle.”_

_“Well, of course, but—“ memory-Teddy began._

_“So, that gave me the rather brilliant idea to break into the registrar’s office and steal a copy of your class roster from last year!” Rose said, a little too excitedly. “Very sorry, Teddy.”_

_“Rosie! You— but you’re only a fourth year, surely that magic is too difficult for you.”_

_“Course it is,” grumbled Albus. “She only went and borrowed my bloody broom and flew up to the window!”_

“Ron would be so pleased,” remarked Harry.

“I don’t think Hermione would be,” said Teddy, smiling.

“Ah, well…” said Harry, just as the memory faded away and another took its place. They were still in the Defense room, but Iskra Krum had returned. The classroom was empty besides the four of them.

_“Miss Krum, do you know something I don’t?” memory-Teddy asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion._

_Iskra scrambled to her feet. She cast a glance over her shoulder, as if she was worried someone might hear. “Of course not, Professor Lupin,” she mumbled._

_“Miss Krum, I’m not here to get you in trouble.”_

_“All due respect, sir, I’ve already given a statement to the Head Auror.”_

_“I’m not here in a ministerial capacity. I’m just… a friend, looking out for her.”_

_Iskra laughed humorlessly. “A friend. Five minutes ago you seemed convinced she was a dark witch, so forgive me if I find that hard to believe, sir.”_

_There was a beat of silence before Iskra let out a long, heavy sigh. “Look, I’ll tell you one thing I didn’t tell Mr. Potter… I can’t be sure of what she said, but when the Aurors were removing her from our dormitory, I…”_

_“What is it?” memory-Teddy prompted._

_Iskra flashed another glance over her shoulder, at the slightly open door to the classroom. Memory-Teddy waved it shut impatiently._

_Iskra took a wavering breath. “I could have sworn she was trying to tell me that it was Jackson behind all of it.”_

“But that doesn’t mean anything,” said Harry with a frown. “She’s not even sure what she heard.”

“Just wait,” said Teddy. The memory zoomed on.

_“Makes sense to you?” memory-Teddy asked urgently._

_Isrka’s expression was grim. “Jackson’s obsessed with the Wizarding Wars. You should hear him in History of Magic, hanging on to Binn’s every word…” Iskra shuddered. “Before the break, Binns showed some photographs of Hogsmeade in 1977. Destruction everywhere, bodies in ditches, the Dark Mark in the sky— it was horrible to look at; I feel sick just thinking about it. And what did Jackson ask? ‘What kind of dark curses create that kind of destruction?’ How can that be what he was thinking of?”_

Just like that, Teddy had the same sensation of falling, but in reverse. He fell upwards until he reappeared in his body, face dripping as he looked at his godfather.

“Put Iskra on the stand,” said Teddy, somehow breathless. “She’s the only other person who knows about Jackson Bane.”

“They might not believe her. She’s Nina’s best friend. They’ll think she’s lying.”

“Well then, they can just submit an appeal for the use of veritaserum!” spluttered Teddy. “She’s Nina’s best shot. You saw how afraid she was of Jackson. She’s the only one who can save Nina now.”

Harry nodded, a little slowly, as if he was piecing it all together himself. “I’ll file the report. And get in touch with the solicitors. Come hell or high water, Iskra Krum will be on the stand tomorrow.”


	33. Witness for the Defense

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two crucial parties take the stand.

“Welcome,” said Madam Abbot, “to the second day of the trial of Dominique Weasley.”

Her voice carried throughout the courtroom and bounced off the walls, and Nina felt incredibly small. The courtroom was more crowded today than ever.

Reporters had gathered in the stands, separated from the family, but all holding floating pencils, enchanted to draw sketches of the courtroom in real time. After the first day of testimony, it appeared the wizarding world was desperate to know more.

The door swung open loudly. All the heads turned on a swivel towards the intruder, who walked in sheepishly.

“Sorry I’m late,” said Teddy.

His hair was brown, but the ends were bubblegum pink. She tried desperately to meet his eyes from across the room, but he kept his head down and crept into the family section of the stands. She’d never written that letter. He must have thought she hated him. Harry put a reassuring arm around his shoulders.

Nina swallowed. If he thought she hated him, why did he come?

She did not have much more time to contemplate it before Madam Abbot spoke again. “As I was saying, today we have two new witnesses for the defense.”

“Madam Abbot, did you receive the prosecution’s petition for the use of veritaserum on Iskra Krum?” interjected the prosecutor, scowling at Nina’s lawyer.

Nina’s solicitor huffed, but did not protest.

“I did,” said Madam Abbot, “and it has been allowed. But Mr. Bane will be subject to it as well. Minister’s orders. Unless you have any objections?”

The prosecutor scowled, but did not offer any objection. Nina’s solicitor was practically giddy.

“Iskra?” whispered Nina, looking at her solicitor with wide eyes.

“Yes,” she whispered in reply, “Teddy submitted memories to Harry about his interactions with Iskra, and how they lead him to believe that Jackson is guilty.”

“Oh,” said Nina softly, looking to Teddy in the stands, who watched on with cautious optimism.

Madam Abbot nodded in satisfaction. “First, I would like to call Jackson Bane to the stand. Mr. Bane?”

With both Jackson and Iskra under veritaserum, Nina might actually win the case. For the first time, she felt a bubble of giddy excitement in her chest.

Jackson brushed the dirt off his formal robes and scurried down the stairs. He looked perfectly respectable, and Nina assumed this was his solicitor’s strategy. He got to walk into the courtroom in dress robes, but Nina had to enter in shackles and stripes. She clenched her jaw. He sat unceremoniously in the large chair to the right of the judge.

The judge handed him a small vial of a light blue liquid. Jackson hesitated for a moment, but took it with a grimace.

“Please state your full name for the court.”

“Jackson Taurus Bane.”

“Very good. And, your relationship to the accused?”

Jackson shifted uncomfortably. “Ex-boyfriend.”

Nina rolled her eyes.

“Very well. Prosecution, you may begin.”

The prosecutor rose to her feet.

“How did Miss Weasley convince you to work with her?” said the prosecutor, taking lazy steps in front of the Wizengamot.

Jackson looked a little pink, but he continued on with surprising confidence. “We were forced to work together for an essay in Professor Lupin’s class on wandless magic. We met in Hogsmeade to discuss the essay, and in the end, we decided to have a competition. See, Nina thought we should try to argue about whether it was better to be bold or methodological in her approach to magic. You can guess what her approach was…”

The prosecutor nodded. “Of course. Boldness, no?”

Jackson nodded. “So, we posed three tasks to work out which was best. The overall winner of those tasks— boldness or logic— would be the angle through which we wrote our essay.”

Nina was scowling hard. The tests had been _his_ idea. She thought the veritaserum was supposed to keep him from telling selective truths, but he seemed to be managing all the same.

“What were the three tasks?”

“The first was to break into the Restricted Section of the library. Nina achieved that with ease.”

“You’re saying Miss Weasley was the one to break in?”

Nina wanted to scream. It was _his_ idea. All of the tasks had been his idea. She whispered this to her solicitor, who gave her a sharp look. _Be quiet_ , she seemed to implore Nina.

“Yes,” said Jackson cooly.

“And was that the night the book was stolen. _The Dark Compendium_?”

Jackson’s response was immediate. “Yes.”

The Wizengamot murmured. Nina clenched her fist under the table.

“What was the second task?”

“This one was far more mundane,” admitted Jackson. “All we did was play a game of wizard’s chess. Nina lost. I recall her demanding that next time we break into something instead.”

She flushed immediately. She felt her family’s eyes on her immediately. Her solicitor tense next to her.

“And did you?”

“Yes,” said Jackson, frowning. “The third task was breaking into Headmistress McGonagall’s office. It was Nina’s wand, of course, that was responsible for the spell that broke us in. She was the one who levitated the Anamban out of its case. She even used wandless magic, just to show off.”

The murmur in the Wizengamot grew louder. Nina heard someone whisper, “Wandless magic?” She did not recognize the voice.

She did not meet their eyes. He had chosen such a strange way to phrase it. _Her wand was responsible for the spell that broke them in._ She frowned at the chains around her wrist, trying to recall the exact moment. She held back a gasp as she remembered. Jackson had forgotten his wand that night. She had thought it was a careless mistake. How could she be so stupid? He left his wand behind so that, if the Aurors searched her wand for its most recent spells, _Dunamis_ would be on the list.

“Headmistress McGonagall only reported seeing one person when she came down into the study? Would you elaborate on that?”

“I was afraid,” blurted Jackson. He flushed, clearly not expecting to have revealed so much information. “I was afraid of what might happen to me if we got caught. I couldn’t bear the idea of expulsion. I had so many plans for after graduation. I had brought an Invisibility Cloak, fashioned with a Disillusionment Charm.”

“You see?” said the prosecutor to the Wizengamot, arms gesticulating wildly. “Jackson Bane is just a boy. A boy with a lot of potential, who made one silly mistake. No further questions, Madam Abbot.”

“Very well,” said Madam Abbot, looking very tired. “The defense may begin.”

Nina’s lawyer looked bone-tired when she stood to interrogate Jackson. He was a little pink but generally still confident. Even under veritaserum, he had managed to twist the truth to fit his narrative. Nina wondered vaguely if it was matter of willpower to outsmart the serum. He had outsmarted the Imperius Curse, after all.

“Who’s idea was it to break into Headmistress McGongall’s office?” said her solicitor.

Nina looked up sharply. Jackson shifted uncomfortably on the stand, looking between the two solicitors with flushed cheeks.

“Sorry?”

“Who’s idea was it to break into her office? I think it’s a rather simple question, don’t you?”

“Mine,” blurted Jackson. “All the tasks were my idea.”

He looked stupefied. As if the words had come out of his mouth without his own consent. Nina almost smirked. So much for a cool, calm, and collected testimony.

Nina’s solicitor began to pace, using her strides to buy her time to form her next question. Nina could feel her pulse in her throat as she watched on.

“So, when you said the book was stolen during the first task, who stole it?”

“Me,” blurted Jackson. He winced at his own response.

“Why did you want to play wizard’s chess? It doesn’t seem to fit your theme. You break into something twice, but spend the second task on a children’s game. Why?”

“So that she wouldn’t get suspicious,” he said. Then, as if the words sprinted out of his mouth, he added, “And so I could plant the book in her bag.”

Nina’s solicitor’s face seemed to light up with an idea. She approached the stand as much as propriety allowed. Nina imagined her eyes narrowed in focus as she asked, “Who cast the spell to open McGonagall’s office?”

“Me,” whispered Jackson. “Using her wand.”

Nina’s solicitor stepped back from the stand. She began to pace again. “To lend someone your wand is the ultimate sign of trust. Do you think she trusted you like that?”

Jackson offered a miserable nod.

Nina’s solicitor found her groove. She berated him with questions in rapid succession. “What did you want from McGonagall’s office”

“The Anamban,” gasped Jackson. The color drained from his face, and he looked over to his solicitor. She stared back at him with a slack jaw.

“Do you know where it is now? Can you tell us where it is?”

“Yes, it’s in the Room of Requirement.”

“What were you doing with the Anamban?” asked Nina’s lawyer, without any pretense.

Jackson froze. He shot a helpless look to his lawyer. The silence in the room was so thick that Nina could hardly breathe.

When Jackson ruptured it, it sounded like the loudest thing she had ever heard. “I was practicing dark magic.”

Nina’s solicitor did not stop. She continued her rapid-fire questioning. “And you knew that the Anamban would keep your soul in tact?”

“Yes.”

Her lawyer began to pace, taking these confessions in stride. She gave a few small nods as she drew her thoughts together.

“And what kind of dark magic were you practicing with the Anamban?”

“Curses and Jinxes. Unforgiveables. I—“ he took a deep breath, and the rest of the words spilled out of him at top speed. “I was the one who took the house elves. I practiced on them.”

Aunt Hermione gasped shrilly from the crowd. Nina’s stomach rolled.

Her lawyer looked pale. “What did you to do them?”

Jackson closed his eyes painfully. “You don’t want to know.”

“I don’t, but the Wizengamot does, Mr. Bane,” spat her solicitor.

“Tortured them,” whispered Jackson.

He sounded faint in her ears, like he was somehow miles away, despite sitting just across from her in the stands. She willed her ears to shut off; she didn’t want to know more. He continued on anyway.

“I tortured them, controlled them… I practiced all sort of dark jinxes on them and in the end, I killed them. While wearing the Anamban, my soul was protected. My magic could flourish. I was _powerful_.”

He was smiling. Pure delight on his face at the prospect of power.

Nina finally took her cruel satisfaction in knowing one thing that Jackson did not: the Anamban was a death sentence, pure soul or not. His end would come, and likely soon.

Maybe it was more cruel for him to rot in Azkaban. Maybe she should have desired that for him. A long, dark, torturous life behind bars. In a place with no more dementors, but where the screams were just as haunting. He would not need dementors to be faced with the brutality of what he had done. It would appear him in flashes, as he lost his mind behind bars. It would be more cruel if as he withered away while the faces of those house elves haunted him forever.

But he would die. Probably before then, and Nina was just as satisfied with that prospect because he would die alone and unloved, powerless despite his best efforts.

She did not know if that made her as bad as he was, but she did not care.

Her lawyer stopped dead in her tracks, pale as parchment. She looked at Madam Abbot, who was turning slightly green.

“Madam, I think we have all we need from him. I— I think his interrogation on this front can continue at his own trial.”

Madam Abbot nodded grimly. “Bailiff, detain him. He will be sent to Azkaban to await trial. In the meantime… we will take a recess. We shall return in an fifteen minutes.”

She slammed her gavel down.

Nina jumped to her feet as soon as the gavel hit the desk. “I need to go to the loo,” she said quickly. 

It was a lie, but she needed to be out of the room. It was feeling smaller by the moment.

“Of course,” said her lawyer. “Can we get an Auror to escort Miss Weasley?”

Nina didn’t know who the solicitor asked, but next thing she knew, an Auror materialized at her side. He grabbed her shoulder and walked with her. Nina trudged forward, vision slightly blurred. They came to a stop outside the loo.

“I trust you can take it from here,” said the Auror, tone light.

Nina managed a nod and pushed through the doors. She gulped down air greedily, resting her hands on the edge of the sink. She didn’t recognize the face in the mirror staring back at her.

Her cheeks were hollow; the darkness under her eyes had grown so intense that they looked like they had receded into her skull. Greasy hair lay limp on her scalp. She looked deranged, like the old photos of Sirius Black, freshly escaped from Azkaban. She even had the outfit.

She ran her hands under the water, splashing her face. The cold water was refreshing against her flushed cheeks. Finally, the breath seemed to hit her lungs.

Jackson had confessed. Jackson was going to Azkaban. She felt a rush of joy at the idea of freedom. She might to go back to Hogwarts—she could finally get a new wand.

But when she closed her eyes, she was reminded of the brutal truth of it all. Jackson had killed those house elves. Suddenly, she felt an overwhelming surge of guilt. Three months she had been gone. Three months of terror for those poor elves.

Her knuckles were white against the edge of the sink. She took one last steadying breath before dropping her hands. They fell hard, chains tugging them to the ground.

When Nina exited the bathroom, there were three Aurors waiting for her. One of them was Uncle Harry, smiling proudly at her. He held two keys in his hands.

“I think we can take these off,” he said kindly.

Nina felt herself nod. Harry approached her, unlocking her feet first before switching keys to unlock her hands. Her chains hit the ground with a clang.

Uncle Harry pulled her in for a hug. “You did it, Dominique.”

She could hardly believe it. The guilt and the relief made for an uncomfortable mixture inside her. “Where’s Teddy?”

She needed to speak to him. He was the only person who really understood how she could be feeling. How she could be filled with giddy excitement and righteous anger but also with guilt that chilled her to her core. Most of all, she needed to apologize for doubting him.

“He’s still in the courtroom. Do you want me to take you to him?”

“Yes,” she said. “Please.”

Harry must have sensed the urgency in her tone, because he lead her through the corridor quickly. She followed as best as she could, still slow despite the absence of her chains.

Jackson was being drug out by three of his own Aurors, struggling wildly against them. His hair was a mess, and his dress robes were crumpled. His well groomed image had disappeared, and Nina’s stomach flopped all over again at the sight of him.

“Nina!” he yelled, lurching towards her.

She flinched backwards. Uncle Harry was at her side at once, standing protectively in front of her.

“Nina, there’s more to the story! You haven’t heard the—“ Jackson was cut off by Harry’s casual utterance of, “ _Silencio_.”

His mouth still moved, but Nina looked away before she could read his lips. Harry put a hand on her shoulders, leading her through the doorway back into the courtroom.

Across the way, Nina spotted Teddy, in nervous conversation with Uncle Charlie. Her heart lurched at the sight of both of them. All that was missing was Blarney, and then she’d have all her boys back together.

“There’s not much time left, but I bet I can grab him,” said Uncle Harry, but just as he moved forward, the gavel fell.

Nina sighed, finally irritated.

“I’m sorry,” whispered Harry. He sounded like he meant it. “We’ve got to get back, but Nina, you’re free. You’ll be back at your bed in Shell Cottage in a matter of hours.”

Nina slumped back into her chair, and everyone settled back into order.

* * *

Madam Abbot hit the gavel once more, and silence finally fell across the courtroom. The energy was different now. It hummed and buzzed.

“We will proceed with the testimony of Miss Iskra Krum. Again, the prosecution may begin,” said Madam Abbot, and then she handed Iskra a phial of veritaserum.

Iskra’s face was swollen from crying, but it was shockingly pale as she downed the potion in one go. The prosector stood, far less energetic than she had been before.

“Full name?”

“Iskra Elizabeth Krum.”

“And Miss Krum, what is your relationship to the defendant?”

“I’m her best friend,” said Iskra. Her voice was hoarse.

The prosecutor gave a lazy flick to her notes. “And how did you know about Jackson Bane’s involvement with the crime?”

Iskra cleared her throat, suddenly looking very pink. Nina shot her a reassuring look from the crowd, but Iskra looked just as nervous as before.

“The day Nina was arrested, she came into our room with two Aurors. I told them to leave at once. I couldn’t believe Nina could have been accused of any sort of crime—“

“Get to the point, dear,” said Madam Abbot cooly.

It hardly felt important to take Iskra’s testimony now that they knew Jackson was guilty. Nina was grateful Madam Abbot was rushing it along. She wanted to be out of this courtroom and out of this uniform.

“Sorry,” squeaked Iskra. “So, I told the Aurors to leave, and I asked Nina what had happened. She didn’t say anything at first, but eventually, I was sure she mouthed across the room to me that I was right. Jackson Bane was involved.”

“You were right?” interjected the prosecutor, brows furrowed.

Iskra was squirming so intensely in her chair that it looked like she was sliding across it. “Yes,” she said breathlessly. “I told Nina that I thought Jackson Bane was involved before the crime occurred.”

“And how would you know that?”

Iskra turned incredibly red, as if she had been holding her breath.

“What’s going on?” whispered Nina to her lawyer. “Why’s Iskra acting like that?”

Her attorney didn’t take her eyes off Iskra for a second, but she leaned down to whisper in Nina’s ear. “That’s what happens when you try to resist the veritaserum.”

“Resist—?” began Nina incredulously.

Iskra cut her off, letting out her sentence in one long breath. “I thought he had been acting suspiciously in History of Magic!”

Madam Abbot leaned in. “Is that all?”

Nina’s lawyer whispered in her ear, “The more you resist it, the more it makes you say.”

The courtroom went quiet, and the only noises were Iskra’s squirming and panting, red with effort. “I—“ began Iskra, but she clapped her hands over her mouth before she could speak.

Nina blinked on in shock, watching Iskra speak with the same fascination one might watch a car crash. She felt so detached from what was happening; it wasn’t quite reaching her comprehension what this all meant.

“Miss Krum!” said Madam Abbot, slamming her hand against the wooden barrier between them. “I demand that you tell me at once!”

As if Iskra had no control over her body, her hand peeled from her mouth and slammed onto the table. “I WAS HELPING HIM THE WHOLE TIME!”

Iskra was turning less red, but she panted with the effort of having run an entire marathon. “It was _me_ who suggested that Jackson seduce Nina. _I_ was the one who told Professor Lupin that Jackson was at fault, knowing it’d throw him off my trail.”

Nina flashed back to that day in class, impossibly long ago, when they did their wandless magic lesson. Iskra had told Nina to work with Jackson. Nina was too shocked to feel anything at all. She stared on, slack jawed and blank faced, at Iskra squirming in the stands.

“How did you know about the Anamban?” demanded Madam Abbot.

“Jackson told me,” Iskra blurted. She clapped her hand over her mouth, but a bolt of magic sent them back to the table, locked under manacles. She wailed as she went on, “We were dating in secret!”

“But you was the one who warned me about him,” interjected Nina, gobsmacked. “Why would you have done that if you were working together?”

Miserably, she wondered if there had been some sort of mistake here. After all, this was Iskra. She’d known her since before they went to Hogwarts. Iskra wouldn’t do something like this.

She glowered. “Only because you two were getting too close. He wasn’t supposed to go and screw you in the library!”

Heat rushed to Nina’s face as a hum of murmurs ripped across the stands. She didn’t dare spare a glance at her parents— her entire family tucked in the stands.

“ORDER!” demanded Madam Abbot.

The crowd settled. The prosecutor did not even stand. She rubbed her forehead tiredly as she mumbled, “The prosecution rests.”

Nina’s solicitor sprang to her feet. “What did you plan to do with the Anamban?”

Iskra inhaled sharply. “Study dark magic.”

Her solicitor paced in front of the stands. “Why would you do that, if your ambition was to become an Auror?”

“I don’t want to be a bloody Auror anymore. Jackson saw bigger things for us.”

Nina’s solicitor did not miss a beat. “Why would you betray your best friend?”

Iskra’s lip wobbled, and Nina could not help but brace herself for impact.

A desperate part of her wanted an answer that would give Iskra redemption. Her best friend since first year, the girl she trusted in almost everything— she _wanted_ to forgive Iskra. But she clenched her palms and held her breath. She braced for an impact she was sure would come.

“Dominque is stupid. She’s easy to fool.”

It came hard; a blow that pushed the air from her chest. As if she’d really been hit, she saw sparks in her vision. She grabbed onto the desk for support.

“But she was your best friend,” emphasized Nina’s solicitor.

Nina’s eyes smarted, and she had to look away from Iskra to keep the tears from falling. _Best friend_.

“Jackson showed me what elitists her family are. They’re all veterans who think they’re better than everyone else. It makes me sick that my brother married one of them.”

Victoire gasped from the crowd.

“And why should we only practice one kind of magic?” snapped Iskra. “They want to keep us weak so that they can control us. They’re afraid of our true power.”

Madam Abbot slammed the gavel down hard. “That’s quite enough out of you, young lady. Bailiff, take Miss Krum to Azkaban, too. She will await her own trial.”

An Auror scrambled up to Iskra, grabbing her sharply by the shoulders and jerking her away. Nina watched on in horror.

Madam Abbot continued on. “We shall put the matter to a vote at once. There is much more work to do… All in favor of conviction?”

Not a single hand rose in the entirety of the Wizengamot.

“All in favor of clearing the accused of all charges?”

Every hand lifted into the air. In the crowd, Nina spotted Uncle Harry offering her a bittersweet smile. She swallowed hard. They believed her. She had finally won the case, but what had she lost?

In the end, Nina had lost far more than just her power or her freedom. In the brief tenure of her time on the run, Nina had sacrificed so much. But she never imagined losing this. She never imagined losing Iskra. 

Madam Abbot offered a curt nod to her colleagues of the Wizengamot. “In the trial of Dominique Weasley, the Wizengamot has reached the unanimous verdict of not guilty.”

Her family erupted into cheers, but Nina did little more than stare blankly at the seat in which her best friend had just sat.


	34. Return to Shell Cottage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the aftermath of the trial, Nina copes with her new normal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is absolutely my favorite chapter in the whole story! i hope you enjoy <3

Nina stared at the headstone. _Here lies Dobby. A free elf_. The words meant something new to her now. She felt the pain in her chest and blinking behind her eyes. The guilt and the loss overwhelmed her, and she had to take a staggeringly deep breath.

Footsteps clattered against the wooden walkway leading up to Shell Cottage. Nina ducked behind the hill, but turned to see the intruder. She recognized Teddy’s frame at once. His hair was deep blue today. Not cerulean like normal, but dark— azure that burned purple at the edges. He had his hands in his pockets as he walked, head down.

“Psst,” she waved discreetly.

Teddy gave a startled look in her direction. “Oh. You’re up there.”

He started up the hill towards her. She turned back around, leaning against the dirt, sandy, bare feet resting lightly against the earth.

He noticed the headstone immediately. “You can’t blame yourself for what he did. It’s not your fault.”

She appreciated, strangely, the lack of pity in his tone. She didn’t bother arguing with him. She picked up some sand, trailed up the hill by accident, and let it run through her fingers. It fell into her other hand, resting beneath it, and the cycle continued.

Teddy sat across from her, facing the headstone.

“Your hair is still brown.”

She almost smiled. “Yeah?”

“Well, I thought your mum would have made you change it back to ginger.” He said, a little flustered.

“Me too,” she admitted.

Fleur hadn’t said anything about her appearance, actually. A shocking change from her normal motherly scoldings about tea-stained shirts and high-watered jeans.

He hadn’t taken his eyes off her at all. She could feel his Meaningful Stare boring into her head, but she didn’t meet his eyes. She wasn’t sure what there was to say. Her emotions didn’t make any sense in her head. They were all jumbled up and terribly misplaced. She was angry at the wrong people. She knew it, but she didn’t know how to fix it.

She snapped at her mother yesterday. She hated herself the moment it happened, but Fleur was hovering, offering her dozens of cups of tea and fluffing the pillows around her. Nina had barked out something harsh. Her mother hardly blinked, but Nina’s stomach dropped as she registered what she’d said.

The image of Fleur clinging to the bars on Nina’s cell had come crashing into her mind. She saw, just as clearly as the moment it happened, her mother sobbing on the floors of Azkaban. Louis pleading with her to get up. Her whole family staring like she was someone entirely different. The guilt made her want to evaporate.

“They don’t want you coming over,” said Nina quietly. “Dad told me this morning.”

She’d gotten so angry when he said it that she practically breathed fire. She yelled until she had nothing left to say, and then she stalked up the hill to the headstone.

Teddy let out a long sigh. “I should have seen it coming.”

“I’m sorry. I did try to convince them.”

He waved her concern away. “They’re upset. They feel lied to. I’m sure I’d feel the same if it was my daughter. I won’t come back after today. Is there any way you could come to my Nan’s? Or the Burrow?”

She shook her head. “I’ve been on lockdown here. Just for a while before I go back to school.”

He blinked. “You’re going back?”

“Of course. I want to be a dragonologist, Teddy.”

“You know, this whole ordeal was awful, but at least you have an appreciation for academics now.”

Nina let out a dry laugh. “Well, at least there’s that.”

Teddy hesitated before he spoke again. “Have you seen Blarney?”

Nina let the sand pour out of her hand onto the ground. A few pieces blew away in the wind. A lump in her throat obscured her voice as she said, “No.”

At least she’d done right by him. He could have been in bloody Costa Rica for all she knew. No matter where he was, she hoped he was happy. And free.

“Have you been talking to anyone? Because you ought to. I know _I_ need to talk about it, and I didn’t even… I didn’t go through half of what you did.”

She shook her head vaguely. He was right, of course, but where did she begin? Nothing was the same as it was three months ago. Merlin, nothing was the same as it was _yesterday_.

Yesterday morning, she had operated under the assumption that she just might go back to her life as it was before. Yesterday, she was convinced that the only person who did her wrong was Jackson Bane.

Yesterday seemed like a blissful existence. She wanted it back. As if, somehow, the fact of Iskra’s betrayal had not existed before then.

She pulled up a patch of grass, ripping apart each blade as she spoke.

“I thought losing my wand was the worst thing that could happen to me,” she began. “But… I don’t know who I am without Iskra. What does that say about me? She betrayed me in the worst way possible… But she was my _best friend_. We told each other everything; she understood me better than anybody else. Who do I have if I don’t have her?”

There was a beat of silence. It was elastic. The weight of her emotions pulled the band taught, but it did not snap. It sprang back towards her as Teddy met her eyes with a simple, trusting gaze.

“Me,” said Teddy plainly.

She was pummeled in the chest with another round of emotion. It stopped the breath in her throat. She couldn’t think of anything to say. She had too many things on her mind and not enough patience to string them all together. She managed a nod.

Teddy extended a hand out to her. She grabbed it, feeling the smoothness of his hand against her fire-scorched palm. There wasn’t a need for words or reassurances, and Teddy did not even move to wipe the tears from her face when they fell.

This was the best silence of them all. Thick and comforting, supportive but elastic. She could bask in this quietude forever. And when she did not manage another word, Teddy did not push them from her. When it grew colder, he pulled her into him, arms around her waist as they stared at the sea together.

The waves made their own conversation with the shore, and that was enough for the both of them.

* * *

“Alright, tell us one good thing that happened today,” said Bill as he spooned some sugar into his tea.

This had been the tactic over the last few days at Shell Cottage. Taming Nina had been like taming a dragon: challenging and with the danger of getting burned. In that respect, it was good that Uncle Charlie had been staying at Shell Cottage since Nina’s trial. He was a reminder that what Nina had been through was real. And he responded to her every tantrum with the same patience he afforded his dragons.

Her parents recognized that Nina’s life felt like a bubble of loss and failure, despite the fact that she’d won. She supposed nobody knew better than her family what it was like to grieve despite having had a victory. 

Nina rolled her eyes. “You sound like Aunt Audrey.”

“I do not!” protested Bill. “Do I?”

Fleur offered a mysterious shrug. Uncle Charlie snickered into his Victoria sponge, and Nina elbowed him sharply, though she was smiling now, too.

She was trying to get it all together. She knew that the sooner she started resembling a person instead of a dragon, she’d be able to return to Hogwarts.

“Go on then,” encouraged Louis. “You could do with a bit of positivity in your day.”

“Exactly, Lou,” said Bill with a proud grin.

Nina’s face fell as she was reminded of Blarney. “I don’t have anything yet today.”

Some days she could conjure up some positivity for teatime. She could regale her family about her and Uncle Charlie’s latest adventure, or her latest game of one-on-one Quidditch with Victoire. Most days, however, she didn’t have anything to bring to the table.

All she knew was that she wished Blarney was back. Nina wasn’t the type to have many friends, but she’d had Blarney. And, for a while, that had been enough. But now, he was gone. Iskra was a stranger. Her parents didn’t want people coming over. Sometimes, she felt overwhelmingly alone.

She had done the right thing wishing he would leave, but the most selfish, lonely parts of her deeply wished he would come back.

“Did Teddy write?” asked Victoire, taking a bite of her own spongecake.

Out of the corner of her eye, Nina noticed both her parents tense. Louis seemed to notice as well, and he exchanged a panicked look with his siblings. It was only Charlie who carried on, oblivious, as he took a big swallow of tea.

“Victoire,” said Fleur tightly. “Can we not discuss such theengs—“

“Mum, please, the both of you are being ridiculous about this,” said Victoire. “I really don’t see what the problem is! They make each other happy.”

Louis was looking increasingly tense, frozen in place and holding his spongecake with both hands. Charlie had picked up on the tension now, and was looking intently at his hands on the table.

“Vic,” began Nina tiredly.

“He was her professor,” said Bill tightly. “And he is six years older than her.”

“ _You_ are six years older than Mum,” said Victoire, arms crossed. "And Nina's not at Hogwarts, is she?"

“That— that is completely different!” spluttered Bill. “We were both adults. There was a war on— it was a different time.”

“Nina and Ted are adults,” said Victoire stubbornly. “Besides, his parents had an age gap twice yours. Nobody said anything about it, from what I understand. You’re only upset about this because of Ted and I, but I’m _married._ We can all let it go.”

“Bill, he really does care for her, I saw it with my own eyes,” offered Charlie.

“Stay out of this,” growled Bill.

“Vic, that’s enough,” said Nina. “All of you can just lay off. I don’t need you to fight my battles for me.”

“Well, you ought to be fighting them,” she said, eyes gleaming. “Because I won’t be the reason you’re unhappy.”

“That’s not why I’m unhappy! Merlin almighty, Teddy and I are _fine_. We are not trembling in our boots at the idea of Mum and Dad’s disapproval. Nan wasn’t exactly thrilled when the two of them got married, and they seem to be doing just fine.”

Fleur sniffed, and dabbed her napkin delicately at her eyes. Nina squeezed her fist shut tight under the table.

“Then why _are_ you unhappy?” asked Louis quietly.

Nina looked, bewildered, at the five intrigued faces staring back at her. Even Uncle Charlie looked interested. She released her clenched fist and stood up sharply. The china rattled on the table.

“I— I need to take a minute,” she said quickly. She resisted the urge to slam the door closed behind her, and clambered up the stairs two at a time.

“Let me talk to her,” she heard Victoire say from the kitchen.

“No,” said Uncle Charlie, almost sharply. “I’ll do it.”

Nina pushed into her bedroom, but she did not bother closing the door. She knew Charlie was close behind her, and she didn’t mind his company. She threw herself onto her bed, looking vacantly at the ceiling.

The door opened.

“Hi kiddo.” 

Nina sat up slowly. “I’m sorry,” she sighed. “I’m trying; I really am.”

Charlie took the chair from her desk and pulled it over to her. He took a seat, leaning back in the chair. “I know you are. It’s hard, I understand. Maybe not exactly, but well enough.”

“I understand why they won’t let me see Teddy,” she sighed. “I think it’s silly, but I understand it. I just _wish_ I could see him and Blarney. Don’t get me wrong, it’s been wonderful having you here, but it’s not quite the same.”

“Ach, you won’t hurt my feelings. They’re your people. Everyone has their people.”

“You don’t have people. You have dragons.”

“The other dragonologists are my people. And sure, they come and go, but they’re my people all the same. They see the world the same way I do; they have the same passions.”

“Blarney, Teddy, and I don’t have the same passions. We certainly don’t see the world the same way.”

“But am I wrong in assuming that the way Teddy sees the world is just as important to you as the way you see it?”

Nina shook her head slowly. “No, you’re not wrong.”

“That’s just it. And _please_ , Nina. You and Blarney are birds of a feather. If anyone sees the world the same way, it’s you two. You’re fiercely loyal and incredibly brave, the both of you.”

Nina smiled at the floor. “Thanks, Uncle Charlie.”

“Are you ready to come back down? There’s still spongecake.”

Nina stood. “You lot are trying to fatten me up.”

“Is it working?”

“Too soon to tell,” she shrugged. “Let’s hope so.”

Charlie stood next to her. “Come on, I’ll try to keep Victoire in check.”

“More pesky than a Norwegian Ridgeback, that one.”

“Norberta is delightful!” protested Charlie. “And so is Victoire,” he added as an afterthought.

* * *

That afternoon, after Bill and Victoire had apologized to one another, Nina found herself wandering the grounds of Shell Cottage. She’d drug Victoire along with her— she and Charlie both knew that the best way to keep her out of trouble was to keep her occupied.

“How’s Aleks?” asked Nina. “I haven’t seen him for ages.”

They walked along the beach barefoot, heating charms on their feet, so that they could savor the feeling of sand between their toes. This was their favorite tradition.

It had been the first spell Victoire cast at home after she’d turned seventeen. Late at night that summer, Victoire had knocked on Nina’s door. They crept out the front door, careful not to hit the wind chime in the entryway. When they made it outside, Victoire had taken her shoes off first, bare feet in the cold sand, and cast a heating charm on her feet. Nina followed suit quickly. They had run for as long as they could stand it. The cold, wet air whipped their hair around, but their feet had stayed perfectly warm. Even as the tide pushed cold water up to their ankles, neither of them shivered.

Victoire frowned. “It’s been hard for him. He… he didn’t want to come visit and upset you.”

“Upset me? Why would it—“ Nina stopped. “Oh. Right. That’s kind of him.”

Victoire continued on swiftly. “We found a place in London. We’re moving in by the summer. You should come visit after you graduate. It’d be fun; it hasn’t been just the two of us in ages.”

Nina found herself nodding. “You know what? I’d actually really like that.”

Victoire beamed. “I can’t believe you graduate this year. Louis is a fourth year… What are Mum and Dad going to do once we’re all out of the house?”

“Have another kid,” snickered Nina.

“Oh, Nina, don’t even joke,” said Victoire, a little pale. “You know they would, too.”

“No, they’ll have grandbabies before too long, won’t they?”

“Merlin, no,” said Victoire emphatically. “I’m too busy at work! We’ll have kids once Aleks retires from Quidditch. He can stay at home with them. St. Mungo’s is far too busy for that.”

Nina laughed. “You’re married to that job before you’re married to him.”

She smiled. “That’s what he likes about me.”

Nina found herself thinking about Teddy. He approached everything in front of him with an enthusiasm she could never fathom. She felt the familiar ache of missing him, just behind her ribs.

Victoire came to an abrupt stop, grabbing Nina’s wrist. “Do you see that? There’s something down the beach.”

Nina squinted in the distance. She saw two blobs. One was far smaller than the other, barely coming up half-way on the other blob. “It’s probably just someone from Tinworth walking their dog.”

Victoire continued forward. “I don’t think so. Have you ever seen a dog that tall?”

Nina examined the distant blobs again. They were growing gradually larger, though Nina could still not make out any identifying details about them.

“I don’t know, maybe it’s a wizard dog.”

Victoire shot Nina a withering look. “A wizard dog?”

“I don’t know,” said Nina, throwing her hands in the air.

“I think… I think they’re running towards us,” commented Victoire.

“Well, get your bloody wand out, if you’re so worried about it,” said Nina, annoyed.

She was not particularly worried about running into hinkypunks or bugganes in the outskirts of Tinworth. As dull as it seemed sometimes at their little cottage, Nina was pleased about not living every day in fear of whatever disaster came next.

Victoire pulled her wand from her cloak and continued forward.

“You’re joking,” said Nina, bug-eyed at her sister. “What have you got your wand out for?”

Victoire gave her an exasperated look. “You know what Mum and Dad say! Constant vigilance—

“— Will save your life. Yes, I _know_.”

They continued forward, and Victoire kept her wand hidden in the sleeve of her hoodie.

The blobs were growing closer, and finally more distinct. Nina stopped in her tracks. She spotted a glint of red hair on the smaller figure. The taller figure had bubblegum pink hair.

“Vic,” said Nina slowly. “Is that?”

Victoire wore the same bewildered expression. “I think that’s _Ted_.”

It was no sooner than the words came out of her mouth that Nina took off in a sprint. Behind her, Victoire yelled, “Nina! Slow down!”

Nina couldn’t slow down. Maybe she was going crazy, but maybe those were her boys. Victoire kept pace behind her, and Nina ran faster than she ever ran on the run, feet kicking up sand with every step.

They grew closer into focus, and Nina could make out the details of their figures. They were running, too, and before long, she stood face to face with both of them, tears pecking at her eyes.

“Blarney,” she said, nearly sobbing. She pulled him, hugging him so tight she was worried he might not be able to breathe. “What are you doing here? How did you find me?”

He pulled back, grinning. “You wished for me! And Eddy.”

She saw Teddy roll his eyes, but he was smiling, too.

“I don’t— I didn’t—“ Nina spluttered, thinking back on the day. All she’d done today was argue with her family, and then she'd talked to Charlie…

She blinked as she realized. She’d mentioned it in conversation without even thinking about it. “I did.”

“It was about time, too. I’ve been waiting for almost two weeks. I was getting worried.”

“I was in Azkaban for a while. I’ve only been home for a few days.”

“Eddy caught me up on the way over. I went to his place first. I think I scared the living daylights out of his poor grandmother.”

“He did,” confirmed Teddy.

Next to Nina, Victoire laughed.

“He brought us to the beach. We just started walking,” said Blarney.

Nina exchanged a smile with Victoire. “I’m so glad you’re here, Blarns. This is my sister, Victoire.”

“Pleased to meet you,” said Blarney with a grin.

Nina felt happiness exploding after her that she hadn’t felt in weeks. The kind of unadulterated joy she hadn’t felt since the last time she took rode Alan, flying low above the treetops of the Sanctuary.

* * *

When they made it to Shell Cottage, the reception had been mixed. The door swung open to reveal Bill, blinking stupidly at the panorama in front of them. Charlie had joined him at the door not long after, grinning like a maniac.

Things got better from there.

She had to congratulate her parents for maintaining a certain level of decorum around Teddy, even though Victoire was practically glowing with the victory. They all liked Blarney. Blarney liked all of them, too, but he’d especially liked the spongecake.

The conversation carried on for a few hours until Teddy excused himself, saying that they were expecting him at the Potter house for supper.

“I’ll walk you to the door,” said Nina, scrambling out of her seat.

From the corner of her eye, she caught her father tense, and Charlie’s hand fly to Bill’s wrist, stopping him. She ducked out of the room before anybody could say anything.

“They were nice,” commented Teddy, “considering.”

“No need to congratulate them for doing the bare minimum,” grumbled Nina.

They’d reached the front door. They stood right underneath the wind chime, whichtwisted slowly without ringing.

“It was nice to see you. I’ve missed you a lot.”

“You have no idea,” said Nina, almost darkly. “Today was a blessing.”

“Maybe we can run into each other on the beach again?” suggested Teddy with a smile. “What a happy coincidence that would be.”

“Better that than at Hogwarts,” laughed Nina. “When are you headed back?”

“It’s a miracle Minerva didn’t fire me. I won’t push my luck with her ever again,” he said, a little pale-faced. Somehow, Nina doubted that. “I’m back on Monday.”

“Oh,” said Nina. “That’s…”

“In two days. I’ll be back every weekend I can. Besides, you’ll be back before you know it. Are you studying for your NEWTS?”

“Yes, I am. Calm down, professor.”

Teddy winced. “Oh, Merlin, never call me that again.”

“What am I supposed to do in class?”

He cocked his head at her. “Nina, I won’t be teaching you Defense when you come back.”

She blinked. “What? Why?”

“Because we’re together? You don’t seriously think McGonagall would let that slide.”

She liked the sound of it. _Together_. She couldn’t bring herself to be annoyed. “Oh, fine. Small price to pay. Who will be teaching me?”

“Likely Padma. She’s the next best in the school.”

“Professor Patil?” demanded Nina. “Merlin. It’ll be horrible.”

Teddy shrugged. “You can always come to my office if you need private tutoring.”

She burst into laughter. Teddy flushed bubblegum pink, just like his hair. “Oh Merlin, I didn’t mean it like that!”

Nina’s laughter must have carried down the hall, because she heard the living room door open. “Alright, whatever you say, Lupin. See you when I see you.”

He nodded, still a little pink, and reached for the door handle. He paused, looking down the hallway. “Really quickly,” he said, and pulled her in for a kiss.

She threw her hands around his neck, smiling into the kiss. It was entirely too short, and when he pulled away, she found she missed him already.

“Cheeky,” she said.

He grinned and opened the door. No sooner than he exited, she heard the crack of apparation on the other side of the door. She sighed, pushing her back against the door.

“The picture of domestic bliss,” said Blarney, crinkling his nose.

“Oh shut up,” said Nina, rolling her eyes. “I thought you were my dad coming down the hall.”

“He’s too annoyed to move. I think he’s so tense that he’s pulled something.”

Nina snorted. “He liked you, at least.”

“Course he did,” said Blarney with a smile. “Look, I have something for you.”

“Me?” Nina stood up straight, taking a step closer to him. “What is it?”

He produced from his pocket three ginger hairs in a phial. “This.”

Nina stared at it blankly. “Is this your hair? What do you want me to do, make a Polyjuice?”

He rolled his eyes. “No, you silly creature. For your new wand.” He sounded suddenly shy. He wouldn’t meet her eyes. “I know your old wand was phoenix feather, but if you wanted to try something new…”

Nina reached up to ears, where the earrings Luna Lovegood had made hung. They were the first thing she put on when the guards at Azkaban returned her clothes. She felt a little safer and a little more powerful with them on. Like her own secret Patronus Charm.

She let her hand fall. She took the phial. Her throat felt uncomfortably tight, like she was on the verge of crying. “Oh,” she managed. “Thank you.”

“I don’t even know if it’s possible,” said Blarney dismissively. “Don’t worry if—“

“I’ll do everything I can,” she said, clearing her throat. He met her eyes, looking a bit tearful himself. “Thank you. Really.”

He nodded once. “You know, you still have a wish left.”

“Well, I fr—“

“No, just, think on it,” he said quickly. “I’ll hang around here until you’ve made up your mind. I trust you can find me a buggy to sleep in.”

“Don’t be silly,” she said, voice thick. “You can have Vic’s old room. Until I graduate, of course. Or until I use my wish.”

Blarney nodded, but the truth went unspoken between them. Nina was never going to use her final wish. She clenched the phial tight in her hand. If she had to a use her wishes at all, she was glad she had used them on him.


	35. Ollivander's Wand Shop

“Ees everyone ready?” called Fleur, surveying her family.

Victoire looked prim in a set of lilac robes, appropriately cut for the warming temperatures. Louis was giddy. Blarney looked nervous. Bill wore an old feather earring of his, much to Fleur’s amusement, to match Nina’s phoenix feather earrings. They all looked back at Fleur with obedient, blinking faces.

She nodded, clearly pleased. “Okay, Louis, you go first.”

He grabbed some Floo Powder as quick as a rocket, darting into the fireplace. “Diagon Alley!”

He disappeared in a plume of green flame. The rest of the family continued in a similar fashion. Nina was next, and she grabbed her handful of Floo Powder almost as eagerly as Louis had. She coughed as she reappeared in Diagon Alley, accidentally inhaling a patch of smoke.

“Come on,” said Louis grinning. He jerked her out of the fireplace, just as Victoire appeared in her spot.

Bill, Blarney and Fleur followed soon after, somehow spotless despite entering into Diagon Alley’s dirty fireplace.

“Ees that all of us?” asked Fleur.

“No, we’re waiting on Teddy,” said Nina.

Bill tried to hide his scowl, but Nina caught it. She rolled her eyes, but she smiled anyway. He’d warmed up to the idea over the past few days, but not enough to outright support it. Fleur had come around without much more convincing. Nina supposed it was easier to accept it than to argue with Victoire everyday.

“There he is,” said Victoire, pointing.

Nina turned to him. He was walking, head down, towards her. He wore his hair cerulean, as he had almost every day she had known him. It was the shade of blue that Victoire had chosen for him, but she could bring herself to frown at it anymore. It wasn’t Victoire-blue. It was Teddy-blue, like the sky on a cloudless day.

“Aleks might come,” said Victoire cautiously. “Is that okay?”

The thought of Iskra still stung, hot like a burn, but Nina nodded. It was unavoidable that she come to terms with it. Aleks was part of Victoire’s life, which meant he would be part of Nina’s, too. She wanted him to be. She just wished it didn’t hurt so bad.

“Really?” asked Victoire, a little shocked. “Are you sure?”

Nina nodded, feeling more confident as she moved her head. “Yes. He’s your husband. He’s family.”

Victoire beamed so bright it was like looking into a star. Nina turned back to Teddy, who had slipped his hand casually into hers.

“Ready?” he asked.

“More than you could ever know,” said Nina, allowing a grin to slip onto her face.

The storefront for Ollivander’s Wand Shop had never felt so welcoming as it did in that exact moment. She hadn’t been in since Louis got his wand, almost five years ago now.

She didn’t remember the day she got her own wand that well. The excitement made the memory run together into something almost indistinguishable. All she remembered was that feeling— that adrenaline rush she felt when her wand had recoiled, hot and alive, in her hand.

It had felt so different than accidental magic did. All of Nina’s bursts of accidental magic felt like lava erupting from a volcano— uncontrollable and scalding. Using a wand was different. It took all of the wonderful things about the catharsis of magic and controlled it, doling it out in doses that left Nina craving more.

She would have forgotten the contents of her first wand completely if it hadn’t been for the note inside the wand case reminding her. Redwood with phoenix feather.

She didn’t think she could possibly forget anything about the experience this time around. She almost hummed with excitement for her new wand. Something in her lurched towards the shop, unsure of what waited beyond for her.

Ollivander’s Wand Shop was too small for all of them. Aleks had joined them, and now they were eight strong in the store. Nina squeezed against the front desk.

“Hello?” she called into the distance. There was a clatter from somewhere Nina could not see, and then a familiar old man appeared across from her.

“Dominique Weasley,” he said with a knowing smile. “Redwood and phoenix feather, thirteen inches, flexible.”

“That’s what they tell me,” said Nina with a smile to match his.

“Monsieur Ollivander,” said Fleur warmly. “Thank you so much for your ‘elp. We owe you many debts.”

“Please,” said Ollivander, just as kind. “It is I who owe you, and there has been no greater joy than making these wands for your daughter.”

“You must come for tea.” She sounded welcoming, but serious.

Ollivander, clearly wise to Fleur’s ways, nodded. “Of course, of course.”

“Good. We weell head outside, give you all some space.”

Fleur, Bill, Louis, Victoire, and Aleks left then, leaving the four of them alone in the suddenly spacious wand shop.

“I must admit, I have never worked with leprechaun hair before. But it was a joyful time of experimentation, and I have produced three wands in varying woods for you to try. I am confident that all of them would be a competent match for you, but you know as well as I—“

“The wand choses the witch,” finished Nina.

“Indeed,” nodded Ollivander. “After our Floo conversation, I got a much better sense of you, Miss Weasley…”

He wandered off for a moment, returning with three wands enclosed in emerald boxes. One for each strand of hair that Blarney gave her.

“I have tested all these wands myself, and assure you they are all in working order. Leprechaun hair produces an incredibly charming magic, I must say. It’s understandable, of course, why it isn’t widely used in the wizarding world…”

Nina shot him a bewildered look. “Why’s that?”

Ollivander quirked his head at her. “My dear girl, do you not know?” He looked at Blarney with wide eyes.

“Know what?” asked Nina.

“Nothing you need to concern yourself with,” said Blarney firmly. “Will the wand serve her needs well?”

“I have no doubt.”

“There, it’s fine,” said Blarney. “Carry on.”

Nina let her gaze linger on Blarney for another long moment before she returned her attention to the wand maker. He had removed the lids from all three of the boxes, revealing three distinct wands.

“I chose the three woods I thought fit you best, based on our conversation. First we have spruce. Some call it a difficult wood, but I quite disagree… It requires a precise witch with a firm hand, not likely to be cautious or nervous.”

Blarney laughed next to her. Nina went to give him a frown, but caught Teddy grinning, too. She rolled her eyes, letting Ollivander go on.

“It tends to have its own idea about the magic it’d like to produce. Very flamboyant, spruce.”

“Very well,” said Nina. “What else?”

“I made one of redwood, like your previous wand. Redwood, of course, has a reputation for luck. But, of course, it isn’t the wand, it’s the witches. Many witches with these wands just have the tendency to make the right choices. Some with the uncanny ability to snatch advantage from catastrophe.”

“Sounds about right,” said Teddy.

“And finally, chestnut. If my suspicions are correct, this is the wand for you. It attracts tamers of magical beasts and natural fliers. It’s hard to say how it will interact with the leprechaun hair, but I suspect only greatness.”

Nina found herself leaning over the three boxes, entranced by all of them. The magnetic pull of her magic was not discerning which of the three was her true match, but she felt it. It was here.

“Why don’t you begin with the redwood?” suggested Ollivander. “You have a very good track record so far with the wood.”

Nina nodded and picked up the wand. It was a little light in her hand, though the magic hummed into her fingertips nicely. She waved it lightly, and nothing happened.

“Hmm,” frowned Ollivander. “Try a spell.”

“ _Lumos_ ,” Nina said, but only a flicker of light trickled out.

“No, not for you… How about the chestnut? I have high hopes for this one.”

She grabbed that one next, feeling almost as giddy as Ollivander looked. The weight felt appropriate in her hand, and it was not too straight nor too curved. In fact, a small hook a the base of the wand latched on to the opposite end of her wrist nicely, holding the wand in place.

She tried what she had before. “ _Lumos!_ ”

The wand, misreading her confidence, cast a ball of light so large that Nina had to screw her eyes shut. When she opened them, colors danced in her vision.

“Goodness me,” squeaked Ollivander. “If the other fails, you’ll bring that one home for sure. Very good to know…” He made a hasty note on a stray piece of parchment.

Nina was starting to feel miserable, like maybe none of them would be her fit. She looked nervously at Blarney, who seemed far calmer than she did. She wanted the wand to work. She had been so touched by his gesture.

The final wand was the prettiest of the three. The wood itself was light and the wand thin, but it twisted in a way that made the wand look like it was springing to life of its own accord. In all three of the wands, Ollivander had pressed a four-leaf clover to the base. It stretched around the circumference of the wand, vibrant green. It had been stuck down so firmly that Nina did not worry it would come off.

In her hand, the wand felt like an extension of her veins. Her magic pulsed down from her heart, past her arm and hand, through every finger until it hit the wand. At once, the wood grew warm in her hand, pleasantly so. Unable to control it, the wand shot out sparks in the form of a four-leaf clover.

Nina laughed, “I didn’t even cast that!”

“Spruce,” said Ollivander brightly. “Very flamboyant.”

She stared in wonder at the wand for another moment. “Will it break easily? It’s so thin…”

“It should be fine,” assured Ollivander. “Any problems, and I’ll fix it as soon as I can. I see you’ve repurposed your old wand very nicely.”

Nina reached up for the phoenix feathers with a smile. “Is it weird that I feel like they keep me safe?”

She didn’t know what compelled her to blurt it out to him, but he seemed like the only person who might know.

“Not at all,” said the wandmaker. “Phoenixes are extraordinarily loyal creatures. They only give one feather. It chose you once, I should imagine it choses you until the day you die.”

Nina nodded. “Thank you so much, Mr. Ollivander. How much do I owe you?”

“Not a thing,” he said with a shake of his head. “But if your mother asks, you paid however much I told you.”

Nina felt herself smile. “You’re too kind.”

“Nonsense.”

Swiftly, Ollivander broke the two remaining wands clean in half. Nina flinched at the noise. “What would you do that for?”

“Mr. Blarney only gave hair for one witch’s wand, not for three. I shall discard the remains appropriately.”

Blarney nodded. “Thank you.”

Ollivander looked between all three of them, as if he was satisfied with what stood before him. “It truly has been my pleasure. Now, go on. Florean Fortescue’s has some wonderful flavors this time of year.”

Outside Ollivander’s, Nina stared at her wand like she didn’t quite know what to do with it. It had been so long that she’d been without one that it like a treat to hold it in her hands. Magic and alive and entirely hers.

“Let’s see then,” said Bill, smiling.

He didn’t even drop his smile at the sight of Teddy’s arm around Nina’s shoulders, which felt like an unprecedented level of success.

Nina extended the wand to all of them. They ooh-ed and aah-ed appropriately, especially touched by the four-leaf clover at the base of the wand.

“They have their own magical properties, you know,” said Blarney. “They bring luck.”

“I didn’t think that was real,” said Louis eagerly.

Only Nina caught the good-natured roll of Blarney’s eyes.

“Eet ees beautiful,” said Fleur proudly. “Just like you.”

She pulled her daughter in for a hug. Nina, who usually resisted these kinds of things, let her, feeling oddly sentimental about it.

“We’re going for ice cream now,” said Louis. “What flavor do you want? I saw a really interesting cranberry flavored one if you wanna share!”

Nina nodded. “Er, sure.”

Louis bounded off in the other direction, dragging Victoire and Aleks along with him. Bill let out a tired sigh.

“He’s sure to be more trouble than you were.”

Teddy chuckled at that. “There’s no doubt in my mind.”

Confused for a moment, Nina looked at him strangely, until she remembered he had told her one night, when they were on the run, that it was Louis, Albus, and Rose that convinced him to look into the night the Anamban went missing. She let herself smile small.

“Are you two sure you want to stay with us?” asked Fleur. “Eet ees okay if you want to ‘ead off somewhere else. We will not mind.”

Nina must have looked unconvinced, because her father relented.

“Vic had a point, you know. Don’t ever tell her I said that, but she did. It was hard for me to accept that he wasn’t just going to hurt you. If two months on the run, testimony at your trial, and a last minute trip to the Head Auror aren’t evidence enough, I don’t know what is.”

“Go,” said Fleur. “‘ave fun.”

“Not too much,” amended Bill. “An appropriate amount.”

Nina snickered at the ground.

“I’ll go with them,” said Blarney. “I’ll see you back at the Cottage, Nee.”

They waved their goodbyes, and as soon as the three of them turned towards Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlor, Teddy snapped them away.

* * *

Nina rematerialized in an apartment she didn’t recognize. She blinked, still disoriented from the rush of apparation. “Where are we?”

“My apartment,” said Teddy sheepishly. “In Crawley.”

It was a sparsely decorated apartment, and quite small. Nina could see the kitchen from the couch, and down the hall she could see the doors leading to the bedroom and bathroom. The layout was not unlike the one at Charlie’s hut.

“How come I’ve never heard of this place?” asked Nina, surveying the decor on the walls.

A few old Hufflepuff posters hung on the wall. A signed poster of the Holyhead Harpies. Not much else. Not even a television, just a pile of books on the floor.

“I stay at Hogwarts during the year. Pop around a few places during the holidays. It’s right down the road from my Nan’s, I couldn’t be too far…”

“She has you wrapped around her finger.”

“It’s not a bad place to be,” said Teddy with a smile. “I know it’s kind of a mess. I haven’t been here since Christmas.”

The dust on the table was an indication of this. Nina drew something in the dust that made Teddy roll his eyes.

“If the dust looks like this in the living room, I can’t imagine what it looks like in the bedroom.”

“Ha ha,” said Teddy, straight faced. “You think you’re such a comedian.”

“So do you.”

This he allowed. “Only when you’re not being a prat about it.”

Nina took a seat on the couch. It was comfortable, despite the small cloud of dust that shot into the air when she took a seat in it.

“This is mortifying,” said Teddy. “Let me cast a quick cleaning charm—“

“No,” said Nina. “Let me!” She brought out her new wand. “ _Scourgify._ ”

The wand seemed to understand her intention well, because the entirety of the combined kitchen and living room area looked spotless within moments. Nina blinked. “Wow.”

“I was surprised when Blarney offered you his hair,” admitted Teddy. “But I supposed it makes sense.”

“How do you mean?” asked Nina, thinking back to Ollivander’s quiet amazement.

“Giving you his hair is like indebting himself permanently to you. Even if someone else captures him, you’ll always have part of him in your hand.”

It all made sense. Ollivander had broken the other wands after Nina’s had chosen her…

Nina felt a lump in her throat. “I didn’t know.”

“I don’t think he wanted you to,” said Teddy.

“I…” Nina trailed off, unsure what to think. She had no intention of using her other wishes. Was that keeping him captive just the same? She couldn’t tell. When it was only her wishes, using them was an option. Now, a piece of Blarney was with her everywhere.

“It was his choice,” said Teddy. “He wanted you to have it, or else he wouldn’t have done it.”

“Yeah,” said Nina slowly as she put it all together. “You’re right.”

The gesture meant a hundred times more than it had meant before. How hadn’t she put it together before? She found herself staring at the four-leaf clover at the bottom of the wand in a trance until Teddy spoke again.

“Do you remember your birthday, when you asked me what my patronus was?”

Nina thought back to the day. The awkward conversation in the bar, right before the Aurors tracked them down. She’d been amazed that day by how Teddy used his metamorphagus powers.

“Yes, yours is a wolf.”

“And you said yours was noncorporeal. Maybe you should give it a go now. New wand, new memories. Maybe something will click.”

It would have been easy to assume that the past few months of Nina’s life had been littered with nothing but bad memories. With betrayal and loss. It would not have been untrue, but the darkness made the good memories shine like pearls.

Suddenly, she found herself overwhelmed by the possibilities. The day Blarney came back? Or perhaps the day she and Teddy kissed for the first time? The moment that Luna made her earrings was also a big one, standing out in bright red against the gray backdrop of her memory.

Considering all these possibilities, another one popped in her mind. What if their patronuses matched? She cast him a sideways glance, and he was looking at her with wide encouraging eyes, glowing like amber in sunlight.

All at once, it felt like the only possibility. What was it Charlie had said? _The way Teddy sees the world is just as important to you as the way you see it…_

It had always been that way. For as long as she could remember, he was more than just her schoolgirl crush. She had known it from the start, without fully understanding: she was just waiting for the moment that the stars aligned on the two of them. There hadn’t been any point with boys beyond truth-or-dare kisses or seven minutes in heaven. There had only ever been Teddy.

Their patronuses _would_ match, she was sure of it. How would he feel about it?

“I don’t know,” she said slowly.

It felt like it still might be too soon. Her love for him had blossomed over seven years, but his was new. Barely seven weeks.

“Just do it! Maybe it’ll be something cool, like a dragon.”

She rolled her eyes, suddenly far less worried about the prospect of intimidating him. “Nobody _really_ has a dragon as a patronus.”

“Maybe you do,” he said. “Only one way to find out.”

Her eyes lingered on him for another minute. “Fine.” She held her new wand in her hand, trying to shut out the room around them.

She let the memories flood her. It felt like running her hands across a deck of Tarot cards. All of them gleamed with possibility, but she wanted the one that would stick to her hand. The one that would feel too hot or too cold. The one that gleamed with potential.

She relived the moment he kissed for the first time in her again in her head, but it didn’t feel quite right. She tried the day she found them on the beach, taking off running. She even tried the day Victoire put heating charms on their feet, but it wasn’t enough either.

She thought about the feathers tickling her neck. The way they floated in the air when Luna had wrapped wire around them.

Nothing. She let out a frustrated huff. “I can’t find the memory.”

“Relax into it. It’s not a race.”

He was using his professor voice, and it made her lips quirk into a smile. She sat farther back into the couch, trying to let the memory come to her instead.

Against the back of her eyelids, she saw the color green, bright like grass.

Like a forward charge, the memory rushed into her mind without her consent. She saw Dragoste and the Sanctuary underneath her. She could almost feel the wind under her arms, hear the whoop of glee from Uncle Charlie.

“ _Expecto Patronum_ ,” she said clearly, finally opening her eyes.

In the recess of her mind, she still saw Blarney and Teddy standing outside Charlie’s hut, two astounded pebbles in the grass.

White light jutted from her wand in wisps. They didn’t look like they were pulling into something; they continued on, spiraling outwards delicately.

She leaned into the memory. She hoped the patronus would knit itself together, but it did not. It only grew wider and more curling.

She dropped the charm. It hung like fog in the air for a moment before it dissipated.

“Do you think it was the memory?” asked Teddy after a moment.

“No,” she said certainly. “It was strong.”

She was surprised a wolf hadn’t bounded from the tip of her wand. She had expected it to prowl across the floor of Teddy’s apartment, leading to an awkward conversation after it disappeared. But, it had been nothing… just a silvery mist.

“Maybe it’s just noncorporeal,” said Teddy, matter-of-factly. “It’s more common than an animal. It may change in time.”

She was surprised she felt so relieved. Noncorporeal, her patronus had a world of possibilities in front of it. Maybe it was a wolf. Maybe it was a dragon. Maybe it was nothing more than a mouse. She still had so much time to figure that all out.

She set her wand on the coffee table, leaning against Teddy. “It’s good enough for me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> obligatory patronus scene -- i know they're overdone but i'm a sucker for them!!


	36. Two Months Later

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> merry christmas! two chapters in one day, bringing it all to a conclusion. i wrote this fic right at the beginning of lockdown and it was an absolute joy. i love teddy, nina, and blarney, and i hope you loved them too!

The end of the year arrived faster than Teddy had expected. It was as if no sooner than he returned to the classroom, exams were upon them. N.E.W.T.s first, then O.W.L.s, then regular year exams. With finals over, it had been a pointless day in class; all of his students stared wistfully out the window or threw things across the classroom. He had let them do it. Sometimes, there was no better solution than a bit of controlled chaos.

When the day ended and the students charged the hall towards the courtyard, Teddy felt the familiar nostalgic rush he always felt on the last day of term. It had been this way since his days as a student here. The strange feeling of regret to be leaving his Common Room behind; the longing he felt for one more lap around the Quidditch pitch.

He recognized now that the feeling had been misplaced. Hogwarts-years Teddy was afraid of all the wrong things. Failure, rejection… mostly love. Teddy had been afraid to lean into the love from his family for fear that it wasn’t genuine. For fear that, when they saw the true depths of love he had for _them_ , they would think he was delusional. That he wasn’t a _real_ member of the family, but a rotating character, blowing through on rainy days.

Hogwarts-years Teddy knew he could pour all of his love into this place. He would always get it back. He could play Quidditch like a maniac, study as hard as Hermione Granger. He could be the best Head Boy this school had ever seen, and the school would never leave him feeling vacant like he did at Burrow gatherings.

Since returning from his time on the run, Teddy wished he had a Time-Turner. He wished he could go back and seize his younger self by the shoulders. He wanted to shake him. _You’re loved!_ He would yell, if he was given the chance. _Really and truly!_

But Time-Turners were a thing of the past, and Teddy could only be happy that he’d learned the lesson at all.

Teddy still loved Hogwarts with his every fiber. The looming towers felt like home, just as much as Nan’s house. Just as much as the Potter house. Sometimes, more.

Down the hall, he saw Albus shoving his Invisibility Cloak into his backpack, Rose and Louis at his side.

Teddy grinned. He screwed up his face. He tried to change his posture as best as he could, pressing his lips firmly together. “Excuse me, Mr. Potter,” he said, doing his best Scottish accent.

He watched as all three of them froze dead in their tracks. Albus zipped up his backpack a little more frantically, throwing it over his shoulder. He turned on his heel, towards Teddy.

“Yes, Professor McGonagall? Wait a minute…” Albus stopped, furrowing his brows. “McGonagall never wears trousers. Teddy!”

Teddy let the glamour melt away.

“I forgot about the clothes,” he admitted.

“Very impressive otherwise,” said Rose. “You even made the right face.” Rose tried for an impression of it, but she just looked like Hermione when she was knitting.

“Are you going to her office?” asked Albus eagerly. “Can we come with?”

“What? No! Albus, I’m a professor. I can’t condone you using the cloak.”

“But you’re not going to take it away either, are you?”

Teddy hesitated. “No comment.”

Albus cracked a grin. “Told you, Roz.”

Rose sighed. “It’s tragic, if you ask me. A total abuse of authority.”

“You’ll change your tune once you’re prefect next year, Rosie. And where were you all going anyway?” asked Teddy, continuing in the direction they were heading. Bill’s strained voice came to mind. _He’s sure to be more trouble than you were._

The three of them shared a panicked look, and Louis tried to interject smoothly. “I don’t see how that’s important, sir.”

Teddy raised a single eyebrow.

“Really Teddy,” said Albus. “You don’t want to know. What was it you said, Rose? Probable reliability?”

“Plausible deniability.”

“That one!”

Rose rolled her eyes.

Teddy tried to maintain an aura of professionalism. “I’m headed to Minerva’s office. Try not to do anything would make our paths cross in there.”

Rose made an X over her heart, where her Ravenclaw badge almost winked at Teddy. “You know us, Teddy. We’re always careful.”

They took a sharp right at the next corridor, hurrying off in hushed whispers. Teddy let his eyes follow them for a moment, but he shook his head, trying to clear it of whatever nonsense they were up to. He needed a clear head going into Minerva’s office.

The Gargoyle Corridor wasn’t far from here, and he felt a nervousness walking into it that he hadn’t felt since the day he’d applied to the job. That day, he was so unprepared; he didn’t even own a briefcase. He’d had to borrow one of Hermione’s, and he spent the majority of the interview holding the briefcase close to his chest so that Minerva wouldn’t notice the _HJGW_ engraved on the clasp.

He’d studied so hard for this job. Harder than he studied for his O.W.Ls and N.E.W.Ts combined. He’d needed this job the same way he had needed air. He simply didn’t know what would have happened if he hadn’t gotten it.

The Gargoyle looked just as conspiratorial as Rose’s badge had looked. Vaguely, he wondered if the fixtures of this castle were teasing him. Maybe they were egging him on.

“Percival Wulfric,” he said clearly. The Gargoyle twisted open, and Teddy stepped on the stairs.

Minerva had clearly been expecting him, because she yelled “Come in,” before he even hit the knocker.Startled, he checked the entryway for a portrait that might indicate his presence to the Headmistress, but he found none.

He pushed open the door to the office. It was bright; all sorts of metal items reflected the sun in gilded flashes of light. On the floor, a rainbow refracted through a dangling construction of glass on the ceiling.

“Were you expecting me?” asked Teddy, too nervous to take a seat.

Minerva looked up from her notes. She never managed to look owlish, even when she was pouring over paperwork or books. Minerva always looked a bit like a hawk waiting to dive in on its prey. It seemed impossible to him that her Animagus was a cat.

“Yes and no,” she said. “In general, yes. Today, not in particular. I thought you might be Neville.”

“I can come back…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll tell Neville to reschedule. He was only to give me an update on the greenhouses.”

“Alright. Can I sit?”

“I don’t know, are your knees in working order?” she asked, not unkindly.

He took a seat, hiding the flush on his cheeks with a glamour. He had been doing it more and more lately. Experimenting with his gift. He’d never bothered much as kid aside from some superficial changes— glamouring away acne or changing his hair. He kept those habits now, but when he was alone, he found himself staring at pictures in his textbooks and trying to become the people in the pictures.

“How can I help you today?” asked Minerva, devoting her full attention to him.

Teddy took a nervous breath. He’d spent the last two months deliberating on exactly this. How many times had he had this exact conversation with Nina? He remembered one day, not too long ago, when she’d vanished her ears and refused to bring them back until he shut up about it.

“I was wondering what Hogwarts’s policy was on taking sabbaticals. Well, unpaid sabbaticals.”

“A leave of absence?” supplied Minerva, staring at him over the tops of her square glasses. “It depends. Professor Creevey took one to write his books. They’re not unheard of. It depends on the reason for your absence.”

Teddy swallowed. “I was considering undergoing Auror training. Three years training in and out of the field. I don’t have much practical experience aside from… well, you know.”

“Hm. Indeed.” Minerva took a hearty pause. “Would you work as an Auror for any time after training?”

“I suppose it depends if they need me. I… I took this job two years ago with almost no experience in the field. Actually, with _no_ experience in the field. You told me I was perfectly suited to the position, but I’m clearly not. My real life applications of these spells are lacking. How— how can I prepare these kids for the world if I haven’t seen it?”

She did not say anything, but she nodded slightly, encouraging him to go on.

Teddy, emboldened, continued. “I learned a lot from my time with Nina. I learned that it’s easy to sit in a classroom and explain the variables and how to try and control for them. It’s another thing to be there. I watched Nina approach her life on the run wandless with more bravery than I had ever conjured in my entire life. And… honestly, I realized I was missing something. I’m young to be a professor, don’t you think?”

“Yes,” said Minerva. “You are young. I did not think this would be a hinderance to your ability to teach.”

Teddy flinched.

“And indeed, it has not been. Your students reported incredibly high scores on their O.W.Ls and N.E.W.Ts, and your younger students are scoring higher than ever in an attempt to qualify for your O.W.L class.”

“They… they are?”

“Yes. You were worried about your low numbers last term, were you not? I think they did you well. Students are performing better in your subjects across the board. Edward, I see you as an investment this school will reap for years to come. There _isn’t_ anyone more perfectly suited to this job. You love this school.”

Teddy nodded. “Yes, that’s right. I— I do.”

But he had also loved the danger and adventure, like sparks in this veins. He hadn’t returned, even when his week was up.

“You are immensely talented, particularly with wandless magic, but especially with teaching. You care about your students, and it shows.”

“Well, erm, thank you.”

“Don’t thank me, thank yourself,” said Minerva curtly. “Now, tell me more about this Auror training opportunity. I assume Harry knows about your plans?”

Teddy flushed. “Not yet. I didn’t want special treatment. I intend to come back to Hogwarts, absolutely. But I need this experience first.”

Minerva considered him with a look that pierced right through him. He wondered, briefly panicked, if she could read his mind. He decided it didn’t really matter to him either way.

He itched for the adventure. He just wanted a brief interlude of it. Then, satisfied with knowing how both sides operate, he could return. He would pour his whole heart into this school for the rest his days.

Minerva offered a solitary nod. “Very well. When do you begin?”

* * *

Nina was a little jittery. This felt far scarier than riding a dragon. The classmates she had grown up with, minus two, looked confident in their robes and wizards’ hats, but Nina felt a little out of place.

Leena Smith gave her a reassuring look from the Hufflepuff line. Nina tried to meet her smile with one just as warm, but she thought it might look more like she was baring her teeth.

“Please welcome the Class of 2022!” Neville called from the Great Hall. His voice carried into the corridor outside where the seventh years stood, in four neat lines.

It felt like walking into the Sorting Ceremony, except Nina was stood with the girls she’d shared a room with in Gryffindor tower for seven years. They entered the hall, and Nina imagined herself barreling through the doors like dragon ripping through wards.

She was happy she got the experience she had in the last two months of the year. She’d spent almost all of it in class or intensive study sessions. And when she wasn’t in those, she was in the library. Or sitting in Teddy’s office, writing essays while he graded homework.

It had been a grueling two months. In some ways, more grueling than her time on the run. Her hip flexors hadn’t been sore for months, and the blisters had long healed on her feet, but her wrists ached from writing, and she’d go to sleep every night with eyes burning from all the reading.

She felt more like her sister than she ever had before. All the sudden, she was Nina Weasley: studious Gryffindor.

She’d managed to come back to Hogwarts just before the Leaver’s Ball, but it wasn’t as exciting as it could have been. There was no Iskra. She had spent years daydreaming about their Leaver’s Ball with her, and the whole thing had reminded Nina of her in a way that was a little painful.

Besides, there was only one boy she wanted to dance with, and McGonagall had made it quite clear that it was forbidden. So they’d sat during the whole night, drinking the punch one of the Slytherins had spiked with Firewhiskey. It had been an enjoyable night; even more enjoyable when they stumbled, tipsy, into Teddy’s quarters. That had been the first night they slept together. She couldn’t have hoped for anything better.

In the end, she managed to secure a few N.E.W.Ts. Her Potions N.E.W.T had been a disaster, as had History of Magic. Transfiguration went fine, but only because Professor Patil spent her every spare minute not teaching her Defense classes making sure Nina was on track. When the results came back with an A, she and Professor Patil had cried with delight. It was only Care and Defense that she’d managed to pass with Os. They were some of the hardest earned victories of her life, excluding only her trial.

When she returned, her classmates regarded her with a respect they’d never afforded her before. They had never disrespected her, per se, but it was a different kind of acknowledgement. They nodded to her in the corridors. They stopped to stare at her trophy, gleaming in the sunlight, which awarded her for her Special Services to the School.

She told the story only once. She came to Teddy’s class during her old Defense hour. She sat in the front of the room, on the edge of his desk, and told the story of how Iskra and Jackson had been in it together. How they’d tricked her. How she had to run away. About all the magical beasts she’d encountered, and her surprising friendship with a leprechaun named Blarney. After that, she let the rumors do their things.

And, of course, the rumors were rampant. The younger students spread them like wildfire. They seemed to care less about the Anamban or Jackson Bane and more about the fact that Dominique Weasley was dating the Defense teacher. And that McGonagall wasn’t doing anything about it!

She had gotten a lot of glares from wistful fifth years. She couldn’t bring herself to be mad at them, though. She’d been the same at that age.

When the last day of exams came, Nina could hardly believe it. It felt like a daydream she’d conjured up in Azkaban to keep her warm when nothing else would. But it was real, and she was _here_. In the Great Hall in front of her entire family and the whole staff.

“From Hufflepuff, we have,” began Neville, calling out the students one by one. They walked up to a platform where all the teachers stood in a neat row. McGonagall stood at the front, next to a floating stack of diplomas.

Teddy clapped loudly for every Hufflepuff student, and Nina found herself rolling her eyes fondly at him. He’d been renewing his effort to eventually become Head of House, to little success.

“From Slytherin,” continued Neville.

Nina snuck a glance at the crowd. Her entire extended family really _had_ come. She saw everyone from Uncle Percy to Aunt Angelina, all clapping politely at the students as they walked past.

Bill, Charlie, and Fleur sat in the very front of the group, with Blarney at their side. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were just behind them, conferring in whispers, as always. Her heart swelled to see them all here.

“From Ravenclaw,” said Neville.

Nina was getting nervous now. Gryffindors were next. She reminded herself that she was at the end of the list, and straightened her pointed wizard’s hat on her head.

“From Gryffindor,” beamed Neville as he began the list.

There were fifteen N.E.W.T year Gryffindors, and Nina knew she was the fifteenth. Still, she found herself a little caught off guard when Neville finally said, “Dominique Alastor Weasley.”

She flushed a little at her middle name— what had Bill been _thinking_?— but walked up the platform with all the confidence she could muster. She was the very last on the list, but she was on there. It was a feat that seemed impossible six months ago.

McGonagall’s eyes twinkled behind her square glasses as she shook Nina’s hand, handing her the diploma. Nina continued down the row of teachers, but most of their faces seemed to blur out of focus. She couldn’t hear anything over the deafening cheers coming from every Weasley and Potter in the crowd.

She shook Hagrid’s hand— he was crying a little, as he did at every graduation— then Patil’s. She had been such a massive help this year. Professor Trelawney gave Nina a considering look, as if her aura was pulsating at the very moment. Neville offered her a conspiratorial grin when she shook his hand. And finally, there was Teddy. His hair was brown today, and his grin seemed to dominate the entirety of his face.

She wanted nothing more than to kiss him right here, in front of the entire Great Hall, but she restrained herself. She went to shake his hand, but he pulled her in for a hug. Someone wolf-whistled from the crowd— undoubtedly Blarney— and they pulled away, both flushing.

When she turned to step down the stairs at the other end of the stage, she was met by with all their smiling faces, eyes gleaming with pride.

She was not Dominique Weasley: idiot, convict, runaway, failure. She was Nina Weasley: sister, daughter, cousin, lover, alumnus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aah it's done!! if you made it this far, do let me know in the comments. i love to hear what y'all think <3 
> 
> also if you were wondering why on earth this was called Tomorrow May Rain when it clearly has nothing to do with the plot, i can tell you  
> 1) i hate naming things  
> 2) i took the title from the Beatles song, I'll Follow the Sun. i didn't base the fic around the song, ironically, but i found it when i was writing and thought "oh perfect now i have a title"


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